Before Gensokyo
by UltraElectroMagnetic
Summary: A collection of stories that tells the origin stories of Touhou characters before they ended up in Gensokyo, and how they came to the Land of Illusions. (OCs, historical characters, violence, suggestive themes) Complete: Murasa Minamitsu ; In Progress: The Scarlet Sisters
1. Captain Murasa, I: Recruitment

**Origins: Captain Murasa!**

_**by Diego Magallona**_

_This is the first of many stories to be placed here. I decided that a whole bunch of separate short stories would be inconvenient and die fast, so I'm putting all the stories here. Updates to this will be VERY slow until I finish the Luna trilogy. All the stories here will be 3-5 chapters each, most of them having 3 or 4. Here's the first story; the story of Murasa Minamitsu._

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Recruitment<strong>

1940, Empire of Japan. It was a hot summer day, and a young woman was walking on the beach of Kure city. She wasn't your traditional Japanese woman. She was wearing shorts, and a white t-shirt. Young women aren't supposed to wear stuff like that here, but she didn't give a damn. Who was going to stop her?

Murasa Minamitsu was a young Japanese woman. She had short black hair, and teal eyes. She wasn't very tall, but her body was well-built. She was more muscular than most women, because instead of doing what other Japanese women did, she lived on the sea her whole life, helping her father earn money by fishing off the coast, as well as winning money from bar fights. It was her lifelong dream to join the Imperial Japanese Navy, and be the captain of a Battleship.

Sadly, this would never happen. Women weren't allowed to join the Navy, or the armed forces for that matter. But Minamitsu swore that she would get in the Navy one way or the other.

One day, she would captain a Battleship, and win many medals. Things looked hopeless for her, though. She may be the toughest girl in Japan, but there's no way the Navy would dishonour their ranks with a woman. Young Murasa would get her chance though. She just knew one day, it would come.

* * *

><p>As she walked away from the beach and back to the road to her house, she bumped into an Imperial Navy sailor.<p>

"Hey, watch where you're going!"

The sailor looked young, but not as young as Murasa. The sailor turned around and spoke to Murasa again,

"Heh, not even an apology, or a salute? Don't you have any respect for the protectors of your homeland?"

Murasa turned her body a little to make eye contact with the sailor. She could see the extremely obnoxious proud look on his face, and she raised her eyebrow while keeping the rest of her face expressionless. The sailor's face turned red in anger.

"So, you're a woman, and you dare disrespect me? Let me show you what happens to women like you in this country."

The sailor moved his right arm to slap Murasa with his backhand, but Murasa raised her left arm and grabbed the sailor's wrist, putting his arm to a dead halt before it touched Murasa's face. Murasa then used her right arm to hit the sailor's abdomen and knock him back. Murasa smirked and walked away. The sailor, enraged, ran at Murasa cursing.

Murasa sighed, and elbowed the sailor with her left arm as he attempted to grab her. Murasa proceeded to deliver a powerful chop with her right hand to the sailor's cheek, and the sailor fell to the ground. Murasa put her hands on her hips as she looked down on the sailor.

"Next time, bring a friend. Hell, bring two friends; I like a challenge. I guess the Navy isn't so tough after all," Murasa told the sailor. She turned around, giggled, and continued walking home.

* * *

><p>After a few minutes of walking, Minamitsu arrived at her home. It was a traditional little Japanese home near the coast. There was a small dock at the coast where Minamitsu's father's fishing boat was docked. Minamitsu entered her home to find her father asleep and her mother cooking dinner.<p>

"Mama, what are we having for dinner?" Minamitsu asked her mother.

"Seafood Ramen, Minamitsu," her mother replied, "I'm out of black pepper! Could you go to the store and buy some? Quickly, before it closes!"

With that, Minamitsu was again out of the house, this time walking back to the city.

On her way to the store, she walked past the Kure Naval Base, one of the largest naval bases in Japan. There on the docks, she stared in awe at the biggest ship she has ever seen: It was still in construction, but it was almost finished. Minamitsu imagined herself on the bridge, ordering the crew to fire its 18-inch gun batteries at Japan's enemies. It wasn't a strange fantasy at all; who wouldn't want to captain the_Yamato,_ the biggest battleship in the world?

A droplet of rain splashed on Minamitsu's head, bringing her out of her fantasy, and back to Kure, Japan.

She ran to the store as she heard the rumbling sound of thunder in the sky and the torrent of rain starting to pour in. "What the hell happened to 'summer?'" she thought to herself.

After buying the things she needed, Minamitsu started walking back, even if the rain was pouring; she's experienced worse on the seas. As she walked past Kure Naval Base again, five sailors stopped her. The one in the middle had a bruise on his cheek.

"Oh dear," he said, "A little girl in the cold rain. You look like you could use some warmth." Minamitsu, disgusted, put down her grocery bag, and said,

"I do recall kicking your ass a few hours ago. Maybe you should watch your tongue; if you don't want it cut out and put in my ramen."

The five laughed, and the sailor with the bruise said,

"Ohoho, and I recall you saying, 'bring a friend' and that you 'like a challenge?'" Minamitsu knew where this was going. These sailors didn't want a fight. They wanted something else from her. She couldn't escape now.

Thunder cracked, and the rain poured even harder as the night set in.

"Alright," said Minamitsu as she threw her shirt off, though instead of seeing what they wanted to see, the sailors were disappointed to see that she wore a sarashi around her chest and midriff.

"Come and get it." The middle sailor walked up to Minamitsu, who greeted him with an axe kick to the shoulder, putting him face down on the wet road. Two other sailors ran to grab her. Minamitsu ran to them, elbowed one of them in the face as the other tried to grab her arm. Minamitsu hit the other sailor with a chop before he was able to grab her, and then stepped back as the other two ran to get her. The sailors then helped the first one up, and they surrounded Minamitsu.

They all ran at her at once, and she ran and drop kicked one of them, rolled back up, and did a sweep kick to knockdown the two sailors closest to her. Another sailor kicked her in the chest as she got up, staggering her. Minamitsu motioned with her fingers for them to come at her. The two standing sailors charged at Minamitsu, who dodged the first one's right jab as she grabbed the foot of the other sailor who was attempting to kick her. Minamitsu twisted the foot, and the rest of the sailor's body followed. The first sailor threw a punch to Minamitsu, who parried it and countered with a hook, uppercut, and a roundhouse to the head.

"Haha—" Minamitsu was interrupted when another sailor slammed her to the wall and grabbed her arms.

"You're mine, bitch," the sailor shouted, but Minamitsu kicked the sailor's crotch with her knee, and he fell backward, writhing in pain.

The first sailor got back up, pulled out a small wooden bat and angrily charged at Minamitsu with his arm poised to make a downward strike with the bat. Minamitsu easily grabbed the sailor's arm as he attempted to strike her, twisted his arm until he dropped the bat, caught the bat with her other hand as it fell, then kicked the sailor in the privates.

"Thanks for the weapon."

Minamitsu proceeded to whack another sailor on the head with the bat once while blocking another sailor's punch with her other arm, then swung the bat to that other sailor's knee. Both sailors fell to the ground in pain, unable to get up. The last sailor standing took out a knife and walked slowly towards Minamitsu with the knife pointed at her; the rain wasn't letting up. The sailor shouted as he began to charge, when he heard a shout from behind him.

"Stop this idiocy now! That's an order!"

A Japanese naval officer was there, on the sidewalk, holding an umbrella. He was dressed in his uniform, and one of the sailors writhing in pain on the ground looked at Minamitsu and said,

"You're dead now, bitch."

The one sailor standing turned around to see the officer, and said, "Shit!" then Minamitsu knocked him unconscious with the bat. Minamitsu dropped the bat and turned to get her grocery bag. It wasn't there.

"Looking for this?" the naval officer asked her, showing her the grocery bag.

"I hope I don't have to fight you for it….sir," she replied as she picked up her shirt and walked towards the officer.

"No, you don't. But you disgraced five of my sailors. I will not stand for this! You are to go to my office at the Naval Base here tomorrow at 11 AM sharp!" the officer told her.

Minamitsu, unfazed, replied, "Am I facing a firing squad or a gang rape? Because I'd rather have a firing squad; just saying."

The officer then said, "Hmph. You're the negative type. It's neither. I want you as a sailor on my ship, of course. This navy needs more fighters like you. Have a good dinner."

The officer then walked to the five sailors and began scolding them, Minamitsu didn't say a word. Her eyes dilated and she walked very slowly, giggling every few seconds.

She was a total ditz walking back home. She didn't care if mother and father would get angry at her when she got there. She was going to live out her dream. She was going to be in the Imperial Navy! Sailor Minamitsu Murasa!


	2. Captain Murasa, II: To War

**Chapter 2: To War**

1 year later…

By early 1941, Murasa had already distinguished herself as a competent sailor and rose through the ranks faster than anyone in the Imperial Japanese Navy.

After saying her goodbyes to her parents the day after she proved herself a capable fighter against 5 sailors who attempted to rape her, she walked straight to the Kure base to begin her military career. In a few months' time, high command saw in her the qualities of a competent leader, but had to take caution in giving Murasa recognition, as the existence of a female sailor in the Navy was being kept a secret.

It was November, 1941. Murasa, now a _Kaigun-Daii_ or Lieutenant, was stationed on Hashirajima near Hiroshima. So far, she hasn't seen any real action, and hasn't been assigned to any ship. She's been drifting here and there, attending military exercises, leadership training, and combat training.

There was a war raging in China, but Murasa couldn't fight there; most of the fighting was inland. There was a visitor from Germany today. People are saying that the visitor is from the paranormal division of the Elite SS. A small transport plane with the Luftwaffe cross on its side and wings streaked past the Hashirajima base and landed on an airfield near Hiroshima. The sailors and officers assumed that was it.

* * *

><p>An hour later, a boat was seen making its way to Hashirajima. "Murasa," a naval Captain called, "Murasa, I need you lay low. I don't know what the SS officer will think if he sees a woman in our Navy." Murasa nodded, and replied, "Yes, Captain." Talented as she was, her career could end in a heartbeat if something went wrong.<p>

A number of sailors and officers waited on the dock to greet the officer from the _Ahnenerbe_, the Nazi SS Paranormal division. The boat docked, and two German SS soldiers stood up and got out. Then the SS Officer stood up, and to all the Japanese officers' surprise, she was a woman. Her most prominent feature was her very long silver-white hair that was tied into one big braid. Her flawless skin was white, and her eyes were grey, and she looked more Japanese than German.

She greeted the Imperial Navy captain, Takama Tomotsu,

"Good day, Captain. I hear the carriers have already left for Pearl."

The two began walking out of the docks and towards the base while they were having their conversation.

The captain said to her, "Indeed they have. After the destruction of the American Pacific Fleet, we will have complete dominance of the air and sea in the Pacific. We have only to destroy the American carriers to ensure their defeat, but it's the Battleships that the pilots want to destroy. Carriers may be the war winners, but the Battleships are the symbols of pride and spirit of any Navy, and destroying the enemy's pride and spirit is almost as important as destroying their Carriers. Not many people stare in awe at the _Zuikaku_ and the _Shokaku_. Everyone is looking at the _Yamato_; the greatest battleship in the world. "

"I can see where you are going with this, captain. Everyone seems to be stuck in the past. Though, I must admit, Battleships look more intimidating with their large guns on display all the time. The terror of the Carrier is hidden in its cargo bays. The wars at sea are no longer won by the biggest ships with the biggest guns. They are won by the fleets that have the most loaded carriers, the best pilots, and the skills to use them properly. You'd better pray that you destroy the American carriers, Captain. The Americans are fast learners, and have superior production speed. The gap between their technology and yours is small and negligible. Once they figure that Carriers are the key, they will adapt, they will learn, and they will produce more carriers and aircraft than your country can dream of producing."

"That's the point of the attack, ma'am. Destroy the American carriers, and then move as swift as the wind in our conquest of Asia. If the Americans decide to send their carrier-less fleet to us in an attempt to retaliate, they will be annihilated, and by the time they produce a new fleet, ours will have tripled in size, the war will be over, and the Emperor will rule all of Asia, and perhaps a part of America."

The two laughed, but the SS officer didn't laugh as much; she probably already predicted the fate of the Axis powers.

"By the way, ma'am," Captain Takama said, "I didn't catch your name."

"Oh," replied the SS officer, "_Oberfuhrer_ Yagokoro Eirin, SS _Ahnenerbe_. You may have already noticed that I looked Japanese, so I assume you aren't surprised by my name either. As for my gender, let's just say that I'm the 'dirty little secret' of the SS. Why waste the most talented by not allowing her a position only because of her gender? That's what I say."

Captain Takama smiled, stopped walking, and said to Eirin, "I'm actually not at all very surprised by you, ma'am. The Imperial Japanese Navy has a 'dirty little secret' of its own as well."

"Is that so?" replied Eirin. "Yes, ma'am Yagokoro. In fact, she's a Lieutenant, and she's on Hashirajima right now," Captain Takama told her.

"I'd like to meet this Lieutenant. Will she be joining the conquest of the Pacific?"

Takama sighed, and told Eirin, "Well, Naval High Command doesn't really care for it. They'd rather keep her hidden, but I say that's a waste. She should be out there. She was accepted into the Navy in the first place because she was a damn good fighter. She's an officer now, knows her duties and responsibilities as one, but she's still a fighter at heart. I can see the fire burning in her eyes; she wants to fight, she wants to be in the thick of battle."

Eirin nodded, and asked, "What's her name?"

"Murasa Minamitsu" answered Takama.

Eirin smirked, then said, "Well, You can tell her that she'll be joining the command crew of the _Haruna_ and that she should prepare her things for cast-off. I'll deal with your Navy Command."

Takama, surprised, turned to Eirin, and asked, "Wait! Why my ship?"

Eirin giggled, and reminded the Captain, "How could you have forgotten, Captain? You just told me that you'd rather see her out there and that she'd be wasted here. It will be difficult to find another Ship to put her in; you can count on that. I don't like hypocrites Captain; don't show me that you are one by declining this opportunity to use the girl in the war."

"Absolutely, Ma'am. I'll make sure she's on the _Haruna_ by tonight," replied Takama. "Maybe you can speak to her when she gets settled on the_Haruna_ tonight, at around 1900." he added.

"Oh, yes. That would save some time," said Eirin. Maybe I'll take a look at some of the fleet's ships 'till then."

The two went their separate ways, Eirin to tour the ships, and Takama to the barracks to give Murasa her good news.

Captain Takama opened the door to the barracks to find Lieutenant Murasa in her white dress uniform lying down on her bunk, with her hands behind her head. She was just staring at the ceiling. "Lieutenant," called the Captain, and Murasa stood up at once. "Lieutenant, I have good news for you."

"Really, sir? With respect, sir, may I ask which island or port I am being transferred to this time?" Murasa replied.

"Oh, Minamitsu, what has this long year of hiding done to you? This will surely change all of that in a flash. You are being assigned to my ship, the _Haruna_, as its first lieutenant."

Murasa, shocked, her pupils dilated, and her mouth wide open, stepped back slowly in disbelief, and bumped her head on the wall. She shook her head, and got back to her senses. "Thank you, Captain! I won't fail you! I'll prepare for departure straight away!"

"Well, that went smoother than I thought it would go," Takama told himself as he watched Murasa packed her things.

"Lieutenant, after you settle in, report to the _Haruna's_ command bridge at 1900."

"Yes, captain!" Murasa enthusiastically replied.

* * *

><p>Murasa walked with Captain Takama to the ships. It would not be long before the Second Fleet departs Hashirajima to heat up the Pacific theatre with the Empire's flames, or more specifically, start the war in the Pacific theatre in earnest, using the artillery shells of the Battleships and Cruisers and the Bombs of the attack aircraft to rain hell on whatever fools dare stand against the Land of the Rising Sun.<p>

The two stopped walking in front of a _Kongo_-class fast battleship, with the signature 'pagoda mast' style command tower that most IJN ships used, had two funnels, and had launch catapults for floatplanes. It had four twin 14-inch gun turrets, so eight 14-inch guns in total. These were the ship's biggest guns, and had a number of 6-inch and 5-inch guns for the secondary battery of the ship. The ship also had a large number of 1-inch anti-aircraft guns and Type 96 anti-aircraft autocannons. The ship could travel at speeds up to 30 knots; The _Kongo_-class ships were the fastest Battleships of the IJN. It wasn't as big, heavily armed, or protected as other Battleships of the time, but it was fast, and could still pack a punch.

"Welcome to _His Imperial Japanese Majesty's Ship_ _Haruna_, Lieutenant," Captain Takama proudly introduced his ship to Murasa.

It was very different from the _Yamato_, Murasa's dream ship. The HIJMS _Haruna_ was a _Kongo_-class: It was outdated; a 1914 ship reconstructed twice to catch up with the times, it was smaller, it was less armoured, and it didn't have as much firepower, but Murasa realized the importance of speed, especially in this new war, where it is being said that Battleships like the _Haruna_ and _Yamato_ are obsolete, and that they will be easy prey for massed carrier aircraft attacks.

Murasa took some time to settle I her quarters. She was on a battleship. They'd be off to fight the war by tomorrow. The excitement was rushing through her veins. It took her a while to relax. After calming herself, she went up to the _Haruna_'s Command Bridge at exactly 1900 hours, or 7:00 PM.

To her surprise, there was no one was to be found on the bridge. Murasa was expecting Captain Takama, but he was never late. Murasa walked up to the front of the bridge and gazed out the windows. She watched the rest of the Second Fleet; some ships were ready ahead of time and were just waiting for the order to cast off. Murasa heard footsteps of someone climbing up the stairs to the bridge, but she didn't pay any attention to it; she thought it was a sailor on the platform below.

* * *

><p>A woman's voice called, "Lieutenant Murasa," and Murasa quickly turned around, surprised to see Eirin in her SS dress uniform, trench coat, and officer's cap. "Well, this is unexpected. I didn't think the visiting SS Officer to be a woman, ma'am," Murasa told Eirin.<p>

Eirin replied, "I wish I could say the same for you. Captain Takama told me about you, and I convinced him to put you in here. I thought I'd be surprised by you, Lieutenant; as it turns out, you're just like a lot of the men here. That didn't surprise me. Your time in the Navy has made you quite tomboyish in appearance and personality."

Murasa then told Eirin, "I was always tomboyish to begin with. Otherwise, I wouldn't want to be in the Navy, and those sailors back at Kure would've had their way with me."

A horn blew from another ship. It was time to leave Hashirajima. "Well, time's up. Goodness, I forgot to introduce myself; _Oberfuhrer_ of the SS _Ahnenerbe_, Yagokoro Eirin. I'll be on a different ship for the journey to the Penghu Islands, but we'll see each other again in Mako."

"It was nice meeting another female in this sausage-fest we call the 'military'," Murasa joked.

"Indeed it is. I'll be seeing you," Eirin said, as she bid farewell to Murasa. Takama entered the bridge as soon as Eirin left. "Captain," said Murasa with a salute.

"Captain, was that 'His Imperial Japanese Majesty's Ship' really part of the title?" Murasa asked.

"Well, Lieutenant, it isn't. I like it, though. Some western countries give prefixes to their navy ships, and some westerners say that, abbreviated, and in English, so I don't know how it looks like abbreviated," the Captain answered.

The Captain nodded at Murasa with a smile, picked up the loudspeaker, and addressed his crew, "Next stop, Mako, Penghu, and then, the rest of the Pacific. Full ahead, helmsman!"

December 3, 1941; the Main Body of the Second Fleet's Southern Force arrived at Mako Naval Base in the Penghu Islands, also known as_Pescadores_,a day before. The Force is preparing for its Pacific theatre operations; HIJMS _Haruna_ is among the ships of this force. They would be providing long-range support for the IJA forces in French Indochina. The sun bid the fleet goodbye with a magnificent Pacific sunset, and the night greeted them with a beautiful full moon.

* * *

><p>Tonight was mostly rest and relaxation, because tomorrow, business would begin. Murasa went to the command bridge, and climbed up top,to the very roof of the <em>Haruna<em>. She lay down on her back with her hands under her head, and gazed at the stars and the full moon. She listened to someone's footsteps below, and heard the person also climbing up to the roof where Murasa was lying down. She sat up a little, and to her surprise, it was Eirin.

"Good evening, Lieutenant!" Eirin said to Murasa with a smile. "We should continue that talk we couldn't finish back at Hashirajima."

"Why yes, uhm …Oberu…" Murasa was attempting to address Eirin by rank.

"_Oberfuhrer_, dear. But please, I don't mind informality. This is a casual women's conversation. Just call me Eirin."

"Well, Eirin, I really wanted to continue that talk. I couldn't find you yesterday and throughout today," continued Murasa . Eirin lay down beside Murasa and also gazed at the moon. "Beautiful isn't it?" she asked Murasa.

"The full moon? Heh, of course. The full moon…you won't find such beauty on Earth," Murasa answered.

"Earth has a different kind of beauty. But Luna…it's so pure, so bright, so majestic, yet so cold, and so harsh. The moon is an unforgiving place. Ironically, if a person were to stand on the moon, and look at Earth, he would say that the Earth is much more beautiful."

"I'd love the chance to see the Earth from the moon," said Murasa to Eirin.

Eirin closed her eyes, and smiled, saying, "It's wonderful, I assure you."

"Anyway," Eirin continued, opening her eyes, and turning her head towards Murasa, "Tell me how you got in the Navy."

"Well, I…." Murasa smirked, thinking of a way to tell her the story without sounding too cocky. She told Eirin about her family, how she'd learned how to fight from fight clubs hidden all over Kure. She started with Karate taught by her father, and then learned some Kung Fu, Muay Boran, and Eskrima. She also learned traditional sword fighting in Kenjutsu. She integrated what she learned from all those, and added some dirty tricks as well; in a real fight, there were no rules. Murasa prepared for that.

Outside that, she lived a very different life from other young women. She went out to sea to fish with her father. She finally got to the part where she pissed off a sailor and encountered him and four other sailors outside the Kure Naval Base where they attempted to rape her.

"Needless to say, you could see in their faces the fear beginning to emerge when they saw that my back, arms, and abdomen were probably more toned than theirs, though I was slimmer because I'm a girl. They knew they messed with the wrong girl."

"Well, I wish I could tell you my story," Eirin said, "but I don't think I'm permitted to do so."

"Oh, I don't mind. What can you tell me about your position, though?" Murasa was curious about Eirin's role in the SS.

"Well, what we usually say is that we look for proof of supremacy of the Aryan race, but that's a silly endeavour. Do you believe in ghosts, demons, or the undead?" asked Eirin.

"There are a lot of stories of Yokai in Japan, but I don't know if I should believe any of them," answered Murasa.

"I'd bet some of them are true," replied Eirin, "Well, my division handles Paranormal events and instances, so I'm inclined to believe a lot of this stuff."

That moment, a few moving lights appeared in the night sky. As it moved closer to the lit area, Murasa and Eirin saw a 'flying boat' seaplane with the _Luftwaffe_'s cross on the wings and fuselage. "Well, there's my ride," said Eirin with a sigh.

"It was fun having this talk with you, Eirin. I hope I can see you again," Murasa bid farewell.

"I'm going back to mainland Japan. I'm not returning to Germany for a few months, so we may yet see each other again. Remember Murasa, you're going to war tomorrow. It's real now. In a few days, America will be joining the fray. I hope for your safety. It's time to put your game face on. You're a fighter, so show them you can fight. Maybe if we figure out a way, I can get you a ride to the moon and we can see how beautiful our world really is. Farewell."

"Goodbye, Eirin."

Murasa watched as Eirin disembarked the _Haruna _and took a small boat to the flying boat. Eirin looked back at the _Haruna_ as she boarded the plane, and saw Murasa's silhouette on top of the ship's bridge. The silhouette gave a casual salute to Eirin. Eirin waved back once, and then got in the plane.

Murasa lay back down and watched the stars and the moon as the seaplane's engines revved up and took off, flying back to Japan. She took some time to relax up there before returning to her quarters. Today, she was resting. In a few days, she'd be in the thick of the Second Great War.


	3. Captain Murasa, III: Midway Kaisen

**Chapter 3: Midway Kaisen**

December 7th, 1941. The date is riddled with controversy. Was this truly a surprise attack that devastated the American people? Or did the United States entice the Japanese to attack? The departure of all the new US Navy ships from Pearl Harbour, while the older battleships, destroyers and other vessels remained, as well as the oil embargo on the Empire of Japan, seems to support the latter. No matter which view of history is read, what is for sure is that December 7th of 1941 was the beginning of the end…of the Japanese Empire.

Admiral Yamamoto's plan had failed. The Americans allegedly saw the attack coming. What the Japanese carrier planes found at Pearl Harbour when they attacked, were old, obsolete First World War Battleships, Cruisers and Destroyers. The aircraft carriers and the newer Battleships and Destroyers were nowhere to be found, and remained a threat to the Japanese Navy. The Empire of Japan would not be able to compete against the industry of the United States. Meanwhile, the Germans on the Eastern Front were forced into retreat after they failed to reach Moscow. For many officers of the Axis powers, this was the beginning of the end; there was no more hope for victory.

But it didn't seem that way at all in the Southeast Pacific. The Imperial Japanese Navy ruled the Pacific at this point. It was almost the June of 1942. Captain Takama had been promoted to _Kaigun Shosho _or 'Rear Admiral,' and Murasa had witnessed the fall of Singapore, Korea, The Philippine Islands, British Malaya, and Hong Kong, being promoted to _Kaigun Chusa_ or 'Commander' in the process. The Japanese Empire was an unstoppable force; a sword that slashes swift and true, decimating the enemies of the Emperor. The Americans occupying the Philippine Islands were overwhelmed, even with support from the native Filipinos. She didn't understand why high command was so scared, and why they were saying Pearl Harbour was a failure; they decimated the base and destroyed almost everything. The Imperial Japanese Navy encountered minimal resistance throughout the Pacific Islands, but their worst fears were about to be realized.

* * *

><p>May 29, 1942. The <em>Haruna<em> and a portion of the Japanese fleet are stationed on Harishajima, preparing for Operation 'Mi.'

Earlier that month, the IJN scored a tactical victory against the US Navy at Coral Sea, sinking the heavy carrier, _USS Lexington_, and heavily damaging another carrier, the _USS Yorktown_. Now, Admiral Yamamoto wanted to completely crush what was left of the American pacific fleet, and seal Japan's victory in the Pacific.

"ATTENTION!" cried a junior officer on the _Haruna'_s voicepipe, "THE AMERICAN FLEET HAS BEEN SIGHTED IN THE WEST PACIFIC! TODAY, WE DEPART FOR MIDWAY KAISEN, WHERE WE WILL PUT AN END TO THEIR MISERABLE FLEET ONCE AND FOR ALL! TENNO HEIKA BANZAI!"

"BANZAI!" cried Murasa and the crews of the Imperial Japanese Navy fleet.

The Japanese fleet moved with all haste to Midway, with the notion that the Americans would be taken completely by surprise. The IJN had numbers, experience, and morale on their side. For several days, the fleet sailed toward Midway Island. The crew of the _Haruna_, escorting the main carrier force with its sister-ship _Kirishima_, and several cruisers and destroyers, was ever-alert for threats. After 7 days, the fleet was closing in on Midway.

June 4, 1942. 815 hours, The Battle of Midway.

"Wake up, Commander!" another junior officer shouted, shaking Murasa and waking her. "Get to the bridge! The Rear Admiral wants all hands ready for battle!"

"Right," she replied.

Murasa quickly got into her attire and scrambled to the bridge, along with other sailors and marines moving to their battle stations.

"All hands to battle stations!" cried an officer on the intercom.

As Murasa entered the bridge, she heard a lieutenant report to Rear Admiral Takama, saying, "Admiral, our fleet has been spotted by the Americans. The carriers are preparing their aircraft for take-off."

"Good. Keep us posted. Commander Murasa, keep an eye out for anything that gets through. We need to protect the carriers at all costs!"

"Yes, Rear Admiral!"

The fleet itself was not moving any closer to Midway. The battle lay in the hands of the carriers and their planes, not the battleships.

A few minutes of waiting later, Murasa looked at the time.

The lieutenant-commander got off the radio, and addressed the Rear Admiral, "Sir, small groups of enemy planes spotted by the _Kirishima_!"

Murasa, looking at the sky again, interrupted the lieutenant-commander, "There! Rear Admiral! Dive bombers – Vindicator class spotted at high altitude!"

"Vindicators! Those are obsolete dive bombers!" Rear Admiral Takama murmured, before taking a deep breath, and saying, "Let's move! Protect the carriers!"

Murasa moved to the radio station on the bridge, and contacted the main gun batteries, "Load the batteries with Flak and prepare to fire! We have bombers inbound!"

"Yes, Commander!"

Rear Admiral Takama contacted the _Kaga_, the carrier closest to _Haruna, _and warned them to be vigilant. The battleship manoeuvred itself to combat the American aircraft. Murasa ran out of the bridge to assist the Anti-aircraft gun crews.

A spotter approached Murasa and reported, "We have eleven bombers coming to attack the _Haruna _and _Kirishima_, Commander!"

The first streaks of anti-aircraft fire were seen in the distance, probably coming from the battleship, _Kirishima._ Clouds of Flak soon began to appear in the sky, as Anti-aircraft batteries opened fire at the American planes. For a few seconds, Murasa observed the dive bombers approaching the _Haruna._

"All batteries, fire!" she commanded, and the 1-inch anti-aircraft guns and 25-millimetre anti-aircraft guns fired their cannons at the approaching bombers.

Dive bombers, as their names suggest, fly at high altitudes and dive at their targets from an angle, making them very difficult targets to hit.

"We can't hit them! They're too high and too fast!"

Murasa ran back to the bridge, imploring the Rear Admiral to take evasive action. The first dive bomber dove hard and fast toward the _Haruna_from a near 90-degree angle. When it closed in, it dropped its bomb.

The bomb fell fast toward the ship, and several sailors ran from their posts, thinking the bomb would strike them.

The bomb impacted the sea, causing a large splash of water. It was a near-miss. Whether it was by the skill of _Haruna_'s helmsmen, the incompetence of the American dive bombers, or just plain old luck, the battleships _Haruna_ and _Kirishima_ were unscathed by the raid.

As the dive bombers turned to fly back, the first squadrons of Japanese fighters took to the skies, several of which turning to the airspace above the _Haruna, _shooting down the American dive bombers that lagged behind.

"Without those anti-aircraft guns distracting the Americans, we'd all be dead by now," Takama commented.

"Sir, we have a report coming from the _Kaga_, reported the lieutenant-commander, "Parts of the carrier have been set afire, and they are asking for assistance."

"And assist it we shall. Helmsman, get us close to the _Kaga_, also, and damn good steering out there. Murasa, alert the _Kirishim_a of our course of action."

"Sir," replied Murasa, "The _Kirishima_ has received our movement update, and they wish to inform us that theyand the_ Nagara _are currently engaging an American submarine. "

"Very good, Commander. Today, we crush the American fleet."

* * *

><p>920 hours, The Battle of Midway.<p>

Nearly an hour had passed, and nothing significant had happened. The lieutenant-commander of the _Haruna _periodically listened to reports from the flagship carrier, _Akagi_, and other ships. At 920 hours, finally, hostiles have been spotted.

"Groups of American Torpedo Bombers spotted at low altitude moving to attack the carriers! Zeros have been dispatched to intercept!"

In the distance, faint sounds of flak, cannon fire, and planes were heard in the distance. There was a battle going on close to the carriers, but the _Haruna_ had to stay on their course.

"Do the Torpedo bombers have escorts?" the Rear Admiral asked.

The lieutenant-commander then replied, "No, Rear Admiral. Without an escort, those bombers won't be a problem for the Zero fighters."

"Right," affirmed Rear Admiral Takama.

* * *

><p>1000 hours, The Battle of Midway.<p>

"The American Torpedo Bomber strike force is being annihilated by our fighters! Our carriers are unscathed. The Zeros will be returning to their carriers to restock and refuel as soon as they destroy the last wave of torpedo bombers. All carriers are to begin preparing for the counter-strike at the American fleet! " The lieutenant-commander excitedly reported to the bridge.

* * *

><p>1021 hours, June 4, 1942, The Battle of Midway<p>

The _Haruna_ had just been attacked by two more dive bombers, both of which scored very-near misses. The Rear Admiral shook off the event as he awaited an update on the carrier fleet's attack.

"Sir," the lieutenant-commander again reported, "American torpedo bombers have all been destroyed. The counter-attack will begin shortly. All planes will have taken off in five minutes."

Rear Admiral Takama, with a sinister smile, remarked, "Five minutes to victory."

* * *

><p>Oh, how 5 minutes can change the course of history. 1022 hours, June 4, 1942, The Battle of Midway: The Japanese carriers, <em>Akagi<em>, _Hiryu, Kaga_, and _Soryu _prepare their bombers for a massive strike at the American carriers: _Hornet_, _Enterprise_, and _Yorktown_, as well as the rest of the American fleet, and the American bases on Midway Island.

The annihilation of the American torpedo bombers, however, would work toward the advantage of the Americans. Their attack drew the Zeros protecting the carriers down to low altitude to engage. As they intercepted the torpedo bombers, the American Dive Bomber strike force, which was flying at high altitude found the Japanese fleet and flew in almost undetected. The American dive bombers' fuel was close to exhaustion, but they had caught the Japanese carriers at the worst time: decks full of fuelled and armed aircraft, bombs and torpedoes stacked vulnerably on the decks, fuel hoses snaking around; the carriers were powder kegs, ready to blow, and the Dive bombers were the matches.

The Japanese Zero fighter planes had exhausted their fuel supplies in ripping apart the American Torpedo Bombers, and had to return to their carriers. The Japanese carrier decks were filled with planes, many of them fuelled, armed, and ready for battle. In five minutes, the planes would all be airborne. A crewman on one of the carriers waved the white flag, signalling the first Japanese planes to take off. They first Zero fighters whizzed off the flight decks of the carriers. But as they flew up into the air, a few sailors began shouting, and horns began blowing. "Dive Bombers!"

Five minutes. The carrier-based American Dive bombers swooped down on the carriers. Through the flak, they rained deadly bombs onto the Japanese carriers. The carriers and their escort ships were firing their anti-aircraft guns franticly at the air, desperately trying to shoot down or disorient the dive bombers so they couldn't drop their payloads. The Zeros that were still in the air attempted to intercept the dive bombers, but they were low on fuel and ammunition, and were too few. The Japanese aircraft that were still on the carriers could not take off as the carriers were making evasive manoeuvres to avoid the American bombs.

Several dive bombers were lost to Japanese anti-aircraft fire and Zeros intercepting them, but bombs were dropped nonetheless, and this time, unlike the dive bombers that attacked the _Haruna_, some of the bombs hit their marks, and boy, did the Japanese feel it.

The air above the Japanese fleet blackened with clouds of flak as the fleet attempted, in vain, to shoot down the dive bombers. Bullets were flying across the sky, and Zero fighters chased the Dauntless-class dive bombers around, firing wildly, and in desperation to save their carriers.

In the chaos, the _Kaga_ was struck by four bombs, starting fires inside the ship's hangars, one bomb even hitting the bridge, killing her Captain and most of the bridge crew. The fourth bomb struck the aviation gas lines and damaged the systems that allowed the _Kaga_ to fight the fires more effectively. As crewmen ran around desperately trying to fight the fires and stop them from detonating any explosives or planes, aviation gas flowing from where the fourth bomb had hit caught fire, detonating the torpedoes and bombs strung about the hangar decks, and causing a massive explosion. Men were ripped apart and burned alive all throughout the ship's decks.

At the same time, the _Akagi_ and _Soryu_ were also hit by bombs. The _Akagi_ sustained one direct hit that penetrated into the hangar, and exploded, causing a chain reaction, and causing the aircraft, bombs, torpedoes, and fuel inside to catch fire and explode as well. _Akagi_'s rudder was damaged at full turn, forcing it to go around in circles. _Soryu_ sustained three direct hits, with almost the same effect as the other two carriers. The hangars, filled with ready planes, bombs, torpedoes, and fuel, were set ablaze and caused massive explosions when hit by the American bombs.

The _Akagi_, _Kaga_, and _Soryu_, along with all their aircraft, were fatally damaged and effectively out of the battle. The Americans lost a large number of Dive bombers, but it was a small price for the damage they inflicted. _Hiryu_ managed to remain undamaged after the dive bomber strike, and prepared for its counter-attack.

Five minutes.

* * *

><p>1026 Hours, June 4, 1942, The Battle of Midway, Battleship <em>Haruna<em>

Murasa and the rest of the _Haruna's_ crew could see the sky blackened by flak clouds, could hear the cannon blasts and the machine-gun fire overpowering the sounds of the sea and winds. In a mere 5 minutes, the Dive bombers from The US Navy's carriers had crippled 3 of the 4 Japanese carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy's fleet at Midway.

Rear Admiral Takama sat quietly on the bridge, his hand on his head, which he was shaking to the left and right, very slowly.

"We've lost," he said, addressing the bridge.

Murasa spoke up, "Rear Admiral, we have new orders to support the destroyers in shooting down their aircraft."

"Don't worry Commander; I'm not a man of dishonour. We will fight until the order is given to retreat. Even if it means fighting to the death…No, if they can make miracles, by the Gods, we will as well! We will defeat the enemy! For the Emperor! Tenno Heika Banzai!"

"Banzai!" shouted the bridge crew.

A short while after the crippling American strike on the Imperial Navy's carriers, _Hiryu_, the surviving Japanese carrier, launched its strikes against the Americans, one at 1050 hours, and another at 1245 hours. Pilots returning from the strikes reported one American carrier sunk in the first strike, and another carrier destroyed on the second strike. In reality, the first strike heavily damaged the carrier _USS Yorktown_, but it was repaired so efficiently that by the time the second Japanese airstrike appeared, they mistook the _Yorktown_ for another carrier, which they attacked again. The result was that the Japanese had a false sense that they too had performed a miracle, sinking two carriers, and that victory was to follow after the final carrier was sunk.

Hours afterward, planes from the _USS Enterprise_ spotted and attacked _Hiryu,_ scoring four bomb hits, leaving her dead in the water, eventually exploding. The _Hiryu's _survivors were rescued before Japanese destroyers scuttled her.

The _Haruna _did not see much action for the rest of the day, save for a couple of American bomber strikes that all missed. With all four carriers sunk, Admiral Yamamoto ordered the rest of the fleet to prepare to pull back.

The next day, the Americans went on the offensive, sending their planes on search-and-destroy missions to find the rest of the Japanese fleet. A few of those planes found the _Haruna_.

1508 hours, June 5,1942, The Battle of Midway, Battleship _Haruna_

"Dive bombers!" cried a sailor. Murasa, who close to the ship's aft starboard top deck with another lieutenant, shouted, "Man the guns!" A bomb hit the water very close to the _Haruna's _aft_,_ causing a small explosion in one of Haruna's aft turrets, causing only minor damage, but the shockwave injured a few of the gunners on an anti-air gun.

"Lieutenant," Murasa ordered, "You go to the bridge and get those batteries spitting flak now! I'll see what I can do here!"

"Got it!" replied the Lieutenant as he started running through the deck.

Murasa manned the vacant anti-air cannon, a double-mounted Type 96 25mm anti-air gun. It was aimed and turned using round knobs, and fired with a foot pedal. Murasa turned the gun around and up, and shouting to the other gunners around her, "FIRE!"

The smaller 25mm anti-aircraft guns of _Haruna_ blasted away into the Pacific sky, determined to protect the ship as she fled the approaching dive bombers. The bombers were not very close yet, and easily manoeuvred past the first few shots. Before they could dive however,_Haruna'_s larger 5-inch guns began firing flak rounds into the air, several of which hitting the startled dive bombers. A dive bomber was shook by an exploding flak round, causing it to slow down. At that moment, it was hit by several 25mm shots, setting the plane on fire, and sending it crashing into the ocean. Another bomber was hit directly by a flak round, and exploded in the air.

Murasa turned her anti-aircraft gun to face an approaching fighter. One of the sailors cried out, "Strafing run! Get down!"

The fighter was flying straight for the ship. The sailors ducked as the fighter attempted to fire its machine guns at the ship. Murasa opened fire as the ship lined up in her sights. A 25mm round ripped off the American fighter's wing, and another bullet went straight through the cockpit, splattering the pilot. The fighter spiralled uncontrollably and smashed into water.

"Reload!" Murasa called. A loader ran up to the gun, pulling out the anti-aircraft guns' two magazines, and replacing them. _Haruna_'s guns shot down two more bombers. The American planes began to back off, flying back to Midway and the American carriers.

_Haruna's _sailors cheered in joy, cursing at the Americans and giving praise to Japan.

"Commander!" a sailor saluted as he addressed Murasa, "The Rear Admiral wants you on the deck."

"Very well," she responded.

"Rear Admiral?" Murasa inquired as she entered the bridge.

"Do you hear them cheering Commander?" Rear Admiral Takama asked, "Oh, how bittersweet. We've received reports that only one American carrier was lost in the action, not two. Admiral Yamamoto has ordered whatever remains of this fleet to withdraw immediately. We're to meet with a few destroyers and take on a few survivors from our sunken carriers."

"Very good, Rear Admiral," she replied, "I will get the orders relayed to the crew immediately."

"Wait, Murasa," Takama added as he touched Murasa's shoulder, "Later this month, they're transferring me and making me Commander of the 2nd Fleet's Advance Force Destroyer Squadron 4. On paper, the official new captain of _Haruna_ will be Captain Ishii Keishi, but I've made some arrangements. Captain Ishii will be here, but will not be Captain of this ship. High command has allowed you to be promoted to _Kaigun Daisa. Haruna_ is yours now. We may have lost today, but I am confident you will achieve great things in the years to come. Perhaps even victory."

Murasa, stunned, suppressed a tear from her right eye, and putting herself together again, strongly answered, "Thank you, _Kaigun Shosho_Takama. It has been an honour serving under you."

"The honour was mine," he replied. "Congratulations on your promotion, _Captain Murasa_."

* * *

><p><em>I'll admit, there isn't much 'Touhou' here as most of it is basically an action-packed history lesson with a Murasa insert, but the last two chapter of Murasa's story will engage her a lot more.<em>


	4. Captain Murasa, IV: Ironbottom Sound

**Chapter 4: Ironbottom Sound**

_Haruna _set sail for Hashirajima after the Battle of Midway. She arrived on the 14th of June. As _Haruna_ slowly manoeuvred herself to the docks, Murasa leaned on the railings outside the bridge, and smiled as she took in the sweet view of Hiroshima in the distance; the sweet view of home. Despite being stationed on Hashirajima, and island very close to her home in Kure, Hiroshima, for a long time, she rarely had a chance to visit her parents on the mainland.

Takama walked up beside Murasa, and Murasa turned to him and with a sigh of relief said, "I can't believe we're back, after all that…"

"It's hard to believe, I know. This place looks just the same as when we left it. It's like there's no war, and there was no Midway," Takama replied.

"Why did we go to war against the Americans, sir?" asked Murasa.

The Captain, intrigued by the question, answered, "I beg your pardon?"

"The Americans are very powerful, sir. Why them? They seem like friendly enough people, and weren't we allies with them a few years before the war?"

Takama looked up, remembering that there was indeed a time when America and Japan were allies. He sighed, and turned to reply to Murasa, "Yes indeed, Captain. We were allied with them, but when the Emperor sought to invade China, most of the westerners turned their backs on us. Later on, The Americans cut their oil trade with us, and slowly began to starve us of fuel. The Emperor decided it was best then to side with Hitler, and his Nazi Germany, a nation that actually respects our Empire and shares a similar view of the world. Though, I believe if it was to happen, we would probably fight each other on terms of which race was more superior. Only now I am beginning to see the dark path our nation has taken. But enough of that now; we're home. It's best we enjoy it."

"I'll probably never be able to comprehend all these high-up views and philosophies, but war or not, as long as I'm on a battleship, sailing the open seas, feeling the air, and riding the waves, I may be taking orders all the time, but when we're sailing this ship, all ahead full, I am free."

Captain Takama smiled, remembering when he too was young.

"I wish I still enjoyed the bliss you feel when sailing. To me, it's just a chore now; an occupation. You've been sailing boats since you were a child, however, and you still enjoy it as the most liberating and exhilarating thing possible. Don't worry, Murasa. You'll probably be doing this all your life. You may grow old, but your sailor's spirit won't ever grow old."

* * *

><p><em>Haruna <em>docked at Hashirajima, and the crew gave Rear Admiral Takama Tomotsu their farewells. Before disembarking, Takama turned around to look at the _Haruna_ and her crew again. He stood up straight, smiled, and, holding his head up high, saluted to _Haruna_'s new Captain, Murasa Minamitsu, who was watching from the bridge. She smiled, and saluted right back. Takama would never see Captain Murasa ever again.

Days later, on the 20th of June, Captain Murasa was introduced to Captain Ishii, the captain of the Haruna on paper. Murasa maintained official command as captain of _Haruna_. A month later, _Haruna_ was assigned to the Second Fleet under Vice Admiral Kurita. _Haruna_ remained at Hashirajima.

Another month later, in August, the Haruna came into the nearby Kure Naval Base for a refit. Murasa quickly requested a short leave, and as soon as that was approved, she ran out of the naval base and went straight to her home. It was still the same little house by the sea. Murasa knocked on the door, and it was quickly answered by Murasa's mother, who slid open the sliding door.

"Minamitsu!" the mother joyfully called as she embraced her daughter.

"Mom!" screamed Minamitsu, who was already crying tears of joy. The two hugged even tighter, closing their eyes.

"You don't know how happy I am to see you still breathing, Minamitsu," mother told her, tears flowing down her cheeks.

Murasa opened her eyes and began looking around the room.

"Dad…Where's Dad?" she asked.

"Sorry, Minamitsu. Your father…." Mother sighed, "Your father…passed away."

The tears of joy quickly turned into pain for Minamitsu. She started shaking and sobbing uncontrollably, but managed to ask, "H-how?"

"Sit down, my dear daughter. I'll tell you everything."

The two sat down and Minamitsu's mother began the story,

"Minamitsu, about 9 months ago, there was a typhoon. Your father was going to go on the boat to fish. I told him not too. He was ageing, and in his condition, without your help, I wouldn't allow him to risk fishing in the middle of the typhoon. You know how tenacious your father was, though. He went anyway. He was very strong. He would not let the winds or the rain take him. He survived. He managed to bring in his catch and sell it. But not all was good. Your father quickly developed a fever. This was one fight he just couldn't win."

Mother stood up and hugged Minamitsu again. Minamitsu rubbed her eyes, and asked her mom, "Where is he buried?"

Her mother held Minamitsu's hand and started walking. They walked out of the house together, and towards the beach. Mother turned to Minamitsu and said,

"Your father didn't want a gravestone or a coffin, or an urn. He didn't want his remains to be trapped anywhere, especially on land. He wanted to be free, and he didn't want you to come back, look at whatever was left of him and feel sad about it. So, after we cremated him, I went out to sea, and spread his ashes all over the waters he would always fish in."

Minamitsu couldn't hold back her tears. "I wasn't ready. I don't know …I want Dad…I can't…"

Minamitsu was starting to break. She wasn't prepared for the death of her father, the man who taught her how to sail, how to fight, who raised her to who she was today, more than her mother could have. And now her mother was alone, and Minamitsu worried so much what could happen to her. She would be lonely and no one would be there to help her. Only now she realized how much she missed her parents, and how much she loved them. Crying, she embraced her mother tighter than she ever did before.

Her mother, who was also crying, smiled, and kissed Minamitsu's forehead.

"He'll always be with you, Minamitsu. That's why I set him free at sea; so whenever you went out there, he would always be with you."

"I love you, mom."

"And I love you, dear Minamitsu."

Smiling, Minamitsu looked at her mother, and then to the boat.

"Go," her mother said, "Go visit your Father."

* * *

><p>Minamitsu slowly released herself from her mother's embrace, holding her hand tightly, and slowly letting go as she turned around to walk to the old fishing boat. The boat was mostly wooden, and had an engine and a sail in case the engine died or ran out of fuel. Minamitsu released the boat from its moorings and quickly climbed aboard. She switched on the boat's engines and started sailing out to sea.<p>

The wind was quite calm, but strong enough to push the boat's sails, so Minamitsu opened the sails and shut off the engine a few kilometres away from the shore. She opened the boat's windows, so she could feel the wind and listen to the sea. She closed her eyes and let herself become as calm as the sea around her. Thinking of her father, she let out a single tear.

The boat rocked a little. Minamitsu felt this and opened her eyes. Right as she did, she felt a high wind hit the ship. The waves grew stronger and rocked the boat even more. The wind hit the boat's sails, and pushed it onward. Minamitsu staggered for a second, but quickly caught grip of the helm and stabilized her body. Minamitsu gripped the helm, and reduced sail to half to keep the boat straight, and after a few seconds of struggling, she struck a confident, sly smile on her face. She was back in control.

Minamitsu opened the sails to full again, and screamed in joy as the boat sped up. The wind soon turned into a gale, bringing the waves even higher and rougher, sending splashes of water onto the boat and Minamitsu. She shrugged it all off as the boat got even faster. The wind and sea could not humble nor trouble Minamitsu. Out here, she was free.

"Look at me, Dad! Woohoo!" Minamitsu exclaimed loud and proud, knowing that even if her father wasn't there to hear her, this is what he would've wanted, and that he was proud; proud that his daughter grew to be strong and free, capable and indomitable, that she would defy gods and men, and still never waver, whatever the odds.

After an hour of sailing around the rough seas, Minamitsu returned to the beach, a tired, wet, mess. Minamitsu was still in her white Imperial Japanese Navy officer's dress uniform, which she soiled and soaked in her little adventure. She could not stop laughing, though. She was happy, because by being happy, she made her father happy.

Though tired, she chose to walk on the beach for a while, before dragging herself back home. Minamitsu removed her boots and carried them with her hand, so she could once again feel the sand she'd always walked on as a child. She closed her eyes and let her feet sink into the sand, reminiscing a more peaceful time. She opened her eyes to see the sky turning orange; the sun was setting. She quickly put her boots back on and started walking back.

* * *

><p>Minamitsu was quite tired, and wasn't really paying attention to her surroundings. She bumped into a sailor, and it turns out it was the same sailor she bumped into two years ago.<p>

"Hey, watch where you're-"said the sailor angrily, stopping when he realized Minamitsu was a navy officer.

Minamitsu turned around and the sailor quickly stepped back, terrified, and saluted.

"Y-you?" the sailor muttered, shocked.

Minamitsu smiled and replied, "Yes, me. Still a sailor, huh?"

"Y-yes ma'am…"

"Stop stuttering; you call yourself a sailor of his imperial majesty's navy?"

"Sorry, ma'am." answered the sailor.

The sailor started walking away quietly, when Minamitsu called out to him again:

"Wait. Were you at Midway?"

"Yes," the sailor replied, "I'm serving on _Kirishima._"

"I see. I'm captaining _Haruna._ Enjoy the rest while you can; there'll be another operation soon enough. Sorry for kicking your ass years back."

"It's all good, captain. We're fighting for the same thing now, I suppose. _Kirishima_ is departing for Truk on the 16th."

"Ahh. I never caught your name, sailor."

"It's Nagano."

"Nice meeting you, Nagano. Good luck out there."

The sailor saluted Minamitsu before both turned around and continued along their separate ways. Minamitsu got home, exhausted. She removed her soiled dress uniform and bathed. The warm bath water soothed Minamitsu's tired body, nearly causing her to fall asleep.

Getting out of the bath and reaching for her old clothes, Minamitsu started to wonder if she'd made the right decisions…leaving her aging mother and father alone to join the greatest navy in the world; it seemed a little selfish now that she looked back at it.

Her father was gone, and if she had stayed instead, she could've helped him out. She could've gone out to fish that fateful day, instead of her father. She was young and healthy; she would've survived. Minamitsu quickly shook of her thoughts of regret, though. She wasn't one to torture herself thinking of 'what-if' scenarios for all the bad things that happened in her life. She can't change any of that. What's important to her is what she can change. Her mother was still here, alive, but aging. She didn't want her to be alone. She wanted to stay with her mother, but she also wanted to serve her country.

Lying down on her bed, Minamitsu knew that she had to make a decision, but that would have to wait until morning; it isn't healthy to make life-changing decisions while trying to fall asleep. The whole universe seems to go through one's head while lying down at night. Minamitsu looked back at everything that's happened, and pondered at what could still happen.

The battle at Midway was still playing itself out vividly in Minamitsu's head: the bombs, the cannons, the planes. She remembered the day she joined the Navy: the rain, the blood, the adrenaline. She remembered her parents saying goodbye to her as she prepared to leave the port. Minamitsu smiled, and then sighed.

"This is why this is so unhealthy," Minamitsu thought to herself, after the realization that she'd just subconsciously made her decision. She closed her eyes, cleared her mind, and fell asleep.

Minamitsu woke up to a wonderful morning. The skies were clear and the sun was brightly shining. She almost forgot that there was a war. Minamitsu spent the month with her mother, though leaving a few nights to bond and drink with her crew.

It was the 5th of September now. Battleships _Haruna _and _Kongo,_ would be departing Kure for Truk the next day. That afternoon, Minamitsu said goodbye to her mother.

* * *

><p>"Mom, I…"<p>

Minamitsu's mother shushed her,

"You don't have to tell me. I know you're going."

Minamitsu smiled at her mother, shaking. She was afraid, not for herself, but for her mother. A single tear found its way out of Minamitsu's eye. The two embraced tightly.

"Mom, take care. I'm so sorry that I can't do it for you."

"It's alright, Minamitsu. My sister lives in Hiroshima, remember? I can go there if I need help. Go, Minamitsu. Make me proud. Make your father proud.

"Goodbye, mother. I love you."

"You know I love you too."

They let go of each other's embrace. Minamitsu bowed down in respect, turned around, and walked back to the Kure base.

6th of September, 1942. _Haruna_ departs Kure for Truk atoll. The Battleship left the Naval Base, and picked up speed as it sailed past Hashirajima and into the Pacific Ocean. Captain Murasa Minamitsu was just outside the bridge, looking onward at the vast expanse of the ocean, seemingly unwavering and expressionless.

Captain Ishii walked up beside her.

"Captain, you don't fool me. I hear you were really emotional yesterday," Ishii told her.

Minamitsu looked at Ishii and sighed, telling Ishii,

"I lost my father a few months ago, and I didn't get to see him. I suppose it was natural for me to lose my usual self when I was with my mother. I don't want the same to happen. That aside, I don't want my emotions toward my family to start pouring out and affecting the crew."

"I understand," replied Ishii.

"I'm glad you do."

_Haruna _made for Truk with all due haste. The Japanese fleet was assembling for their next major action: the defence of Guadalcanal.

* * *

><p>1 month later: 0129 hours, 13th of October, 1942, Savo Sound, off the coast of Guadalcanal.<p>

"We have our orders, men. All batteries ready to fire on my mark," Captain Murasa ordered. _Haruna _and _Kongo_ sailed into Savo Sound to bombard Henderson field.

"Main batteries armed with Type 3 HE Shells. Turned, and ready to fire, Captain," replied the ship's first lieutenant.

"Stay alert for enemy ships," Ishii warned the bridge.

"Distance to the airfield?" asked Murasa to another lieutenant.

"About 15,000 meters. Time is 0132 hours."

"Captain, I've just received word from Captain Koyanagi on the _Kongo_," another lieutenant continued, "Await orders from _Kongo_ to begin the bombardment."

"Tell him we receive his message and are awaiting his signal."

"_Kongo_ is opening fire, Captain."

"Right….main batteries, fire!" Murasa ordered the first lieutenant.

The first lieutenant quickly relayed the order to the gun crews, "Main batteries, begin bombardment!"

"_Utte!"_

"_Utte!"_

First,_ Kongo's, and then Haruna_'s main gun batteries opened fire and the calm and quiet night was shattered by the thunderous blasts from the ship's 14-inch guns.

"Reload, quickly!" Was the order from Murasa.

"Batteries ready to fire!" replied the lieutenant, 30 seconds later.

"Fire."

"_Utte!_" shouted the men in the gun turrets, opening fire and quickly reloading.

"Captain, the batteries are ready for another barrage."

"Wait. I need to know if we've hit our targets."

Ishii reported, "Army troops on the island report large and uncontrollable fires appearing in the general area of the airfield."

"That's it," Murasa replied, "We've hit the airfield. Order the main batteries to fire at will, and inform Vice Admiral Koyanagi of our course of action."

"Yes, captain!"

_Haruna_ and_ Kongo, _their batteries facing starboard, fired at Henderson field seemingly tirelessly and relentlessly; they wasted no time as they were at risk of being intercepted.

Haruna and Kongo were of the same battleship class, and the main battery for both was four turrets with two 14-inch guns on each turret. Each 14-inch gun could fire two shells per minute. Combined, the two battleships lay down a terrifying bombardment of thirty-two shells per minute

"We're passing Tunga point!" exclaimed Captain Murasa, "Helmsman, follow _Kongo_ and turn us around! Lieutenant, order the batteries to turn and face the port side!"

"Aye, Captain," answered the two bridge officers.

The two battleships turned around as they passed the airfield at Tunga point, while their batteries turned from facing starboard to face the port side.

"Turn complete, Captain," reported the Helmsman.

"Resume bombardment! Fire!"

A few minutes into their sustained bombardment, Haruna exhausted her HE shells.

"Load the AP shells and continue firing!" Murasa ordered.

"Captain!" the lieutenant exclaimed, "flashes from the coast! They're firing their coastal batteries."

Murasa immediately responded, "Have the 6-inch guns return fire!"

_Haruna_'s numerous 6-inch gun batteries on her port side began opening fire, responding to the coastal battery fire.

After a brief exchange of fire, Murasa deduced, "Those coastal guns are out of range; tell the 6-inch guns to cease fire. Keep up the bombardment!"

After thirty minutes, the two battleships had exhausted their ammunition. _Haruna_ received word that the airfield was utterly destroyed by the bombardment.

"Hahaha! That's going to leave a mark, Captain!" Ishii exclaimed. The bridge crew started celebrating.

"Hell yes! We fired a lot of shells. How many, lieutenant?"

"Four-hundred-eighty-three shells fired. _Kongo_ fired around four-hundred-thirty-something. That airfield won't be in usable condition any time soon."

"Captain," the first lieutenant called, "Vice Admiral Kurita is giving orders to pull out of the Sound. It's getting too dangerous."

"Agreed, lieutenant; helmsman, turn this ship around!"

* * *

><p><em>Haruna<em> and _Kongo_ hastily turned around and withdrew northward. The two battleships were speedy compared to other battleships of the Japanese fleet, and it allowed them to bombard Guadalcanal and withdraw before any carrier aircraft would have the chance to respond to their attack.

The successful bombardment left over forty American planes destroyed, forty American servicemen killed, all the aviation fuel burned, and the airfield heavily damaged and unusable.

The hitch-free raid by the two battleships earned Captain Murasa a medal, and some fame within the higher-ups, secretly of course. The attention nearly cost Murasa her life.

A month later, the Guadalcanal campaign still raged on. _Haruna_ was doing nothing but providing long range support for other attempts to bombard Henderson field, most of which ultimately failed. During the Battle of Santa Cruz, considered one of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific war, a lone _PBY Catalina _flying boat attacked _Haruna,_ but unsurprisingly, did not damage the Haruna.

* * *

><p>On the morning of the 12th of November, 1942, a floatplane from the Battleship <em>Kirishima <em>landed alongside _Haruna._ Murasa was surprised to see Nagano, the sailor from Kure, greeting her, though now he was an officer.

"Captain!" He called, "Captain Iwabuchi has fallen ill and is unfit to command! Vice Admiral Abe has requested you temporarily take his place as captain of _Kirishima."_

"Why me?"

"The Vice Admiral needs an able and competent officer commanding _Kirishima. Hiei_ and _Kirishima_ are the only two battleships in Abe's force, and they are expected to bombard Henderson Field with support of heavy cruisers and destroyer squadrons."

"Why so many ships going through 'The Slot'?" asked Murasa, "How many enemy ships are we expected to encounter?"

"At least twelve," replied Nagano, "and if we can't break through them by daybreak tomorrow, we'll have to deal with carrier aircraft as well."

Murasa looked back at her crew, and told them, "Captain Ishii will take care of you guys. I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully."

"Don't worry about us," Murasa's first lieutenant told her.

"Let's go," said Murasa to Nagano.

The two entered the floatplane and it took off for _Kirishima_.

The floatplane flew to _Kirishim_a, and Murasa looked on at the large Japanese fleet below her. So this is how it looked like from above. She thought it was amazing seeing the ships up-close, but seeing them all in formation like this was magnificent in her eyes. She looked back to Nagano, who was now an officer.

"How did you get it," Murasa asked.

Nagano, slightly confused, replied, "Get what?"

"Your battlefield promotion; it takes years to get that on normal circumstances."

"Well, just like you, Captain," Nagano answered, "we're not in normal circumstances. It's no doubt that we're losing this war, for sure. They wouldn't have given me a promotion if it weren't necessary."

"I see what you're getting at here."

"There she is!"

Murasa looked out the window of the plane and saw Vice Admiral Abe's strike force: The battleships _Hiei_ and _Kirishima_, accompanied by several heavy cruisers and destroyers.

The floatplane landed by _Kirishima_ and was taken in by the battleship.

"She's a _Kongo_-class, just like _Haruna_, Captain."

"I'm aware of that. Let's get to the bridge, quickly."

Murasa and Nagano entered the bridge. "Captain on deck!" Nagano declared.

Captain Murasa communicated with the crew through the ship's speakers:

"As you may have already known, Captain Iwabuchi has been temporarily relieved from command and I am taking his place; we're bombarding the airfield on Guadalcanal again, but before that, we have to deal with American ships protecting The Slot. Let's get this done; for Japan! For the Emperor!"

The crew responded with a short, but loud cheer.

"Ahead, helmsman," ordered Murasa, "maintain your distance to _Hiei."_

"Aye, captain!"

* * *

><p>At 0100 hours in the Pacific, Abe's battle group entered The Slot. The Japanese ships were prepared for battle.<p>

0147 hours, November 13, 1942, Savo Sound, Solomon Islands, IJN Fast Battleship Kong-Class, _Kirishima._

"Captain," one of the lieutenants reported, "One of our destroyers nearly collided with an American destroyer. _Hiei_ and _Akatsuki_ are turning on their searchlights."

In the distance two ships turned on their searchlights, and illuminated the American cruiser, _Atlanta, _which was leading the American ship column_._

Seconds later, the night's silence was broken when several ships from both sides began bombarding each other at near-point blank range.

"Helmsman, I want flank speed now! Get us into a position to fire the big guns! Secondary and tertiary batteries, target any destroyers attempting to approach."

"There! The American ships!" Nagano pointed out the _Atlanta, _which was already taking heavy fire from destroyer torpedoes and _Hiei_'s guns. All around, the formations of both sides were breaking as ships manoeuvred to fire at each other.

"Train main guns on that ship! Let's finish it off" Murasa ordered.

"Shall we turn on our searchlights, captain?"

"No. We'd make too big a target. _Hiei_ is getting harassed by destroyers because of its searchlights. Use night sights."

"Guns are ready to fire!"

Before Murasa could give the order, _USS Atlanta_, already drifting due to loss of engineering power, was hit repeatedly by the salvo of a ship behind it. The Atlanta had drifted into the _USS San Francisco_'s line of fire and took heavy damage from the friendly fire.

"They fired on their own ship!" Nagano laughed, "Idiots!"

_Atlanta_ was out of the fight, and Murasa decided not to waste shells on it.

"Orders from _Hiei_, Captain," one of the radiomen spoke, "The American ship that hit their own is a heavy cruiser. The Vice Admiral is ordering us focus fire on that ship.

"All right, helmsman, adjust course. Lieutenant, order the guns to adjust. We're firing on that ship!"

_Kirishima_ and _Hiei _opened up with their main guns, firing at _USS_ _San Francisco. _Thetwo Japanese battleships were still equipped with fragmentation bombardment shells, and did not do much damage to _San Francisco's _hull, but the fragmentation shells managed to kill Rear Admiral Norman Scott and most of his bridge crew.

"Destroyer!" shouted one of the officers.

The Destroyer _USS_ _Laffey_ managed to get past their screen and make a pass on the two battleships, hitting Hiei with several shells from its 5-inch gun, as well as hitting both _Hiei_ and _Kirishima_ with machinegun-fire.

The destroyer's machineguns killed several men on the _Kirishima_ before they started firing back with their machineguns and smaller gun batteries. At the same time, more Japanese ships trained their guns on _San Francisco_, disabling her steering controls.

_San Francisco_ still managed to fight back, firing salvos at _Kirishima_ and _Hiei _before steering away from the battle.

IJN Destroyer _Akatsuki_ was the first Japanese ship lost in the battle, as its searchlights made it an easy target for the American destroyers. _Akatsuki_ was lost with all hands.

_USS Laffey _escaped from _Hiei_ and _Kirishima_ only to be gutted by withering gun and torpedo fire from four Japanese destroyers. _Laffey_'s keel was broken by a torpedo and the heavy bombardment from the Japanese destroyers caused fire to reach her ammunition magazines. _Laffey_ exploded and was sent to the bottom of the sea.

IJN Cruiser _Nagara _pounded the destroyer _USS Cushing_ with cannon fire, disabling _Cushing_'s ship systems. _Cushing_'s crew abandoned ship before she sank.

IJN destroyers _Yudachi_ and _Amatsukaze_ opened fire on the destroyer _USS Barton_, hitting her with two torpedoes, which quickly sunk the ship. Meanwhile, destroyer _USS Monssen _was destroyed by the same destroyers that had just sunk _Laffey_.

US destroyers _Aaron Ward_ and _Sterett _sunk _Yudachi, _and _USS Sterett_ was in turn disabled by destroyer _Teruzuki_.

_USS Aaron Ward_ ended up alone in a confrontation with _Kirishima._

"Destroyer sighted in range of main guns," Nagano reported.

"This one's easy pickings," Murasa said, "Fire when ready!"

_Aaron Ward_ and _Kirishima_ engaged in a ship to ship duel, though it was very one-sided. The Kirishima's far superior night fighting ability, coupled with the fact that she was a battleship with much heavier guns than a destroyer, made the outcome of the battle a no-brainer.

Kirishima opened fire with its 14-inch guns, while the Aaron Ward could only reply with its 5-inch guns.

_Aaron Ward_ was heavily damaged and was stopped dead in her tracks as she attempted to flee.

* * *

><p>It took several hours, but now the battle was over. Unfortunately, sunrise was approaching, and Vice Admiral Abe could not risk continuing the bombardment lest his force be destroyed by American aircraft.<p>

"We have new orders," the communication officer reported, "Hiei can barely steer herself; her steering engine rooms are flooded. Vice Admiral Abe was wounded in the destroyer attack. He's abandoning the bombardment mission."

"I assume we have to tow _Hiei_ back?" asked Murasa.

"Negative, Captain. These orders are from Admiral Yamamoto. He says to ignore Vice Admiral Abe should he ask you to tow that ship. It's almost sunrise and he does not want to risk losing both of the battleships to air attacks."

"What will happen to _Hiei_ and the Vice Admiral?"

"His crew is being evacuated to other ships, and he's changing flagship, captain."

"Very good, then. Let's get out of here."

The First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal had ended, and the Americans had the bitter end of it; they lost more ships, and twice as many servicemen in the battle. The Americans, however, denied the Japanese Navy control of the Sound, as the airfield survived, allowing planes to attack Japanese ships. The Americans also got a consolation prize: the battleship _Hiei_, dead in the water, was attacked repeatedly by American aircraft throughout the day. The Japanese forces tried to save the ship, though it was abandoned as it was damaged more and more. _Hiei_ was eventually sunk, though most of the crew had evacuated by that time.

As the day turned into night, Admiral Yamamoto relieved Abe of command, and placed Vice Admiral Kondo in his stead. Admiral Kondo would personally lead a second bombardment force on the late hours of November 14 to the early hours of November 15.

Kondo's flagship would be _Atago_, and Captain Iwabuchi had recovered, so Murasa could return to _Haruna._

"I commend you for your actions, Captain Murasa," said Iwabuchi, saluting the young Murasa, "and for keeping my ship in one piece."

"It was an honour commanding your ship and sailors, Captain."

"The honour was mine."

Murasa turned to Nagano, smiled, and waved goodbye.

"Good luck out there," Murasa said to Nagano.

"You too," he said, returning the gesture.

* * *

><p>Murasa got onto the floatplane and flew back to <em>Haruna,<em> where she was happily greeted by her crew. Throughout the night, Murasa was anxious. Her participation in the battle last night made her think. So much destruction and they still couldn't win the battle. She wondered why she couldn't take _Haruna_ and her crew and help the force in the Savo Sound.

On the night of the 14th of November, Admiral Kondo's force advanced into the Sound and engaged a new American ship force. The battle lasted until the waking hours of 15th of November.

When the surviving ships returned, Murasa was immediately aware of the outcome, and was devastated when _Kirishima_ was not one of the ships that had returned.

"What happened to the _Kirishima?" _Murasa asked her communication officer.

"Survivors from the _Kirishima_ say that an American battleship was drawn to _Kirishima_'s searchlights as it illuminated and fired upon another American battleship, and fired upon the _Kirishima_ before they could even see the second ship coming. _Kirishima_ was heavily damaged, and eventually capsized. Most of the crew was saved by the surviving ships, though."

"Unfortunately," the communication officer continued, "this means that the battle for Guadalcanal is lost."

"That's what I suspected," Murasa said, shaking her head, "When do we expect to return to Truk?"

"We're waiting for Admiral Yamamoto to order the withdrawal," replied the officer.

"Say, Captain, " Ishii began, "so many ships were sunk in that sound the past few days that the Americans have renamed it 'Ironbottom Sound.'"

Murasa sighed and said, "It's very fitting. I never expected to see a ship battle as fierce and close-quarters as this. Probably because nobody else does, and nobody wants to, precisely because of the devastating results it had on both sides."

"So much destruction…for nothing," Ishii replied.

"You know it, Ishii. Come on; let's get this ship ready to go home."


	5. Captain Murasa, V: Funa Yurei

**Chapter 5: Funa Yurei**

Truk atoll, February 9, 1943; _Haruna _has just returned from a diversionary operation to cover the Japanese evacuation of Guadalcanal.

Minamitsu went to the atoll's command post, where the commanding officer was waiting for her.

Minamitsu walked inside the makeshift office, where a rear admiral was sitting behind a table.

"Captain Minamitsu Murasa, correct?" he asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Relax, Captain; there's just something that came in the mail for you. I was intrigued by it, and I wanted to have the honour of formally giving it to you."

"It must be important then, Rear Admiral."

"Yes, quite. It's from Rear Admiral Takama," he said, taking an envelope from the desk.

"Wow! Really? What does it say?"

"He's congratulating you for your performance in Guadalcanal. And he's saying that he can get you a transfer to the bridge of the _Yamato _as one of the officers if you really want to. He remembers you saying that you'd love to captain a vessel like the _Yamato_."

"Let me see the letter, sir!"

The Rear Admiral gave the letter to Minamitsu, and she read it very carefully. She began tearing up.

"I don't know… this makes me very happy, but I'll have to consider this offer. I've become very attached to _Haruna _and my crew."

"I understand, Captain. I remember my attachment to my first ship, back when I had a ship to command. Haha. However, Captain. There is something else that you don't have to consider."

"What is it?"

The Rear Admiral pulled another letter from under the desk.

"This is also from Takama, apparently. Oh, hold on. It's from your mother, but Takama had it pushed up in priority."

The Rear Admiral pulled out from the desk, wrapped in cloth, a sword in its scabbard.

"I don't have to tell you what this is, Minamitsu."

Minamitsu gasped. A sword? From mother? She took the wrapped sword and the note that came with it. She opened the letter from her mother. It read:

"_Dear Minamitsu, I wish you success and safety in your adventures. I hear the war is becoming more intense and dangerous each day, and rumours of defeat and great loss are already spreading to the mainland. This is a gift I wish I had given you in person, while we were still with each other. Had I known of its existence at the time, I would have. I found among your father's belongings his katana. He kept it very well-maintained and sharp despite its age. On the blade, the character for 'Water' is engraved. The handle design is quite intricate as well. This blade was passed down from generation to generation until it reached your father. I think it is best that the sword be passed to you. May it bring you strength and courage in this dark and fearful time. Love, Mother."_

Minamitsu wiped a tear from her eye as she removed the cloth wrapping, revealing the scabbard. There were seaweed-like patterns carved on the scabbard and handle, and fish-shaped engravings on the pommel.

"That's quite a sword, Captain," the Rear Admiral commented.

"Our family has lived and made a living in the rivers and seas of Japan, Rear Admiral. It's only right that this sword be designed with the elements of the sea; a tribute to what's given my family life… and on many occasions, death."

Minamitsu drew the sword out of its scabbard, revealing the brilliant steel blade that was somehow tinted slightly teal in colour to represent the colour of water.

"Beautiful," Minamitsu whispered, before turning to the Rear Admiral, who was speechless and in awe at the magnificent sword.

"I beg my leave, Rear Admiral."

"Yes, of course, Captain. Congratulations."

Murasa departed the office and returned to _Haruna_, which was preparing to leave for Kure in a few days.

* * *

><p>"Nice sword," Captain Ishii remarked as Murasa got back to the ship.<p>

"Thanks," she replied, "It's a family heirloom."

"You're family really loved the sea, huh?"

"That's right. We were born by the sea, we lived by the sea, and we died by the sea."

Ishii turned and watched the sea and moon.

"And you? Are you prepared to die at sea?" he asked as he turned back to Murasa.

Murasa sighed. "Captain Ishii, I've never liked how you always turn these talks so dark."

"I'm sorry," Ishii replied, "That's just the way I think."

"It's alright. I respect that, Ishii, and to answer your question, no, I am not ready. You'd think after everything I had been through, that I am ready to die, any time. I should be. I'm in the Imperial Japanese Navy; it's our duty to lay down our lives for Japan if necessary, but I'm not ready."

"No one is ever really ready, Minamitsu. The only time one knows he's ready to die is when presented with death itself. Only then will one's true feelings toward death be revealed."

"So what was the point of your question?" Minamitsu asked.

"I wanted to know if you thought you were ready," Ishii answered.

"What does that matter to you?"

"If you don't think you're ready to die, it means you still have something to live for."

"It's my mother," Murasa said, "When the seas are quiet, when the battle is done, all I can think about is my mother. I dream about the sea, about the intensity of battle, and the feeling of the wind moving through my hair, I live those things, and in those moments know that my heart belongs here, but when it's calm and peaceful, all I can think about is mother; I want to be with her too."

Ishii smiled, and patted Murasa on the shoulder.

"Captain, I think you'll understand that you can't be fighting this war while taking care of your mother because the two things are opposite. In one, you fight, you destroy. On the other side, you preserve life, you protect. Japan can't be at war and at peace at the same time."

"I know that, Ishii."

"But then again," Ishii continued, "Just keep in mind that every precious minute we fight out here is another precious minute your mother and the Japanese islands are protected from destruction."

"So we can do both, huh?"

Ishii smiled, and told her, "In a way, yes."

"You're a shrewd philosopher, Captain Ishii. Maybe you should captain the ship."

"Your former statement may hold true, Captain Minamitsu, but you are an excellent warrior, and a competent commander. You could lead this ship far better than I ever could. You could sail the _Haruna_ to _Makai_ and back in one piece, and the sailors would still follow you."

Murasa laughed, saying to Ishii, "I highly doubt that. I'd jump ship if any captain said we'd be sailing to hell."

A junior officer walked up to the two and addressed Murasa,

"Captain Murasa,"

"Yes, Ensign?" Murasa sharply replied.

"Here are the casualty lists for the _Kirishima_ you requested," the young ensign said, saluting.

"Thank you. Say, you're one of the new officers, right?"

"Yes, captain."

"What was your surname again?"

"I'm Ensign Kochiya Shinko, captain."

The name felt familiar to Murasa. He looked at the young ensign's dark-green eyes, a trait that was quite rare in Japanese people.

"Kocihya… where have I heard that surname before? Do you come from Nagano prefecture by any chance?

"Yes, captain; I'm from Suwa, Nagano."

"Ahh, I may have met a family member of yours when I visited there years back. Anyway, you are dismissed."

Murasa's eyes sifted through the casualty report.

Ishii peered at the paper, saying,

"What are you looking for there, Murasa? Those papers only serve to break our hearts, and the hearts of these men's families."

"I'm looking or Nagano."

"Nagano prefecture?"

"No, no; I'm looking for Ensign Nagano Kira. He's a friend of mine."

"This is so confusing. First there's an ensign from Nagano, and then there's an ensign named Nagano?"

"Missing in Action," Murasa said, pausing for a few seconds. Ishii removed his hat.

"That's it then," she continued, "He probably went down with the ship, or drowned afterwards. I can't help but feel sorry for him."

"My condolences, Captain," said Ishii, "but with all due respect, this is the Navy, ma'am. I think death at sea would be the common thing for sailors."

"I know that, Ishii. But you're right. I care too much. We're all at risk here."

Murasa went down to the captain's quarters to end the day. It was the start of a long deserved rest.

* * *

><p>For six days, <em>Haruna<em> and her crew remained at Truk. After almost constant fighting and sailing, followed by loss at Guadalcanal, this was their first break, and luckily, it would be a long one.

"Captain Murasa," Ishii called, entering Minamitsu's quarters. Minamitsu was sitting on her desk, staring at the letter that Takama sent her. She seemed lost and undecided on something.

"Yes, Ishii?" she answered, still staring at the letter.

Ishii, curious, almost drifted from his original question to ask about the letter. He decided to inform her first.

"Captain, _Haruna_ will be ready to depart in ten minutes."

"Very good, Ishii. Say, I need your advice on something."

"What is it, Captain?"

"Takama can get me a position as a junior officer on the _Yamato_."

Ishii was surprised by this. So that's what the letter was about.

"That's a superb offer, Captain. _Yamato_ is the flagship of the Imperial Navy; the finest of Japanese engineering!"

Minamitsu smirked and turned the chair to face Ishii.

"I know. I saw her being constructed whenever I passed the Kure shipyards as a young girl. I've always dreamed of blowing stuff up in that."

"So, are you going to accept the offer?" Ishii asked.

"…As much as I want to, as much as I'd love to, as much as…"

She paused and began tearing up.

"What's wrong?"

"I just can't," she answered, "I can't leave _Haruna_. After all we've been through: Midway, Guadalcanal… but to throw away an opportunity at being on the ship I've dreamed of captaining since my childhood… I can't help but feel sad; I betray my younger self by doing so."

"Well, Murasa, know this: the _Yamato—"_

"The _Yamato_ won't be under my command, ever. They'd sooner commit _hara-kiri_ before letting a woman captain the flagship," Murasa said with a snicker, still crying a little, "besides, I hear all the _Yamato_ did at Midway was fire at friendly planes."

"Well, that's true," Ishii continued, "You'd never captain that ship unless you were the last officer in the IJN, and Yamato won't see as much combat as _Haruna_ will. _Yamato_'s a liability, Minamitsu. Ships and planes make sacrifices to keep her from harm. That's not your type of ship, right?"

"Ha," Murasa laughed, "You're right! But I'd like to have at least one tour of that ship. I've never even stepped foot on her. _Haruna_ will always be the first in my heart, though. I won't leave this ship any time soon."

"Well then," Ishii said, extending his hand to Murasa," Let's get going. It's a five day sail to Kure and the ships _Shigure_ and _Nisshin_ are ready to depart with us; let's not keep them waiting!"

Murasa took his hand and he helped her stand up.

"Right! Let's go home!"

The two made their way to the bridge, where the junior officers were waiting for them.

"Captain on deck!" shouted one of the lieutenants.

"At ease," Ishii said.

"Sorry for the delay, boys," Murasa told them, "Who's taking the helm?"

"I am, ma'am!" Ensign Kochiya answered as he moved away from the door and back to the helm.

Murasa smiled

"Alright, I'm sure you were all waiting for me to say this: Helmsman, take us home!"

"With pleasure, captain!" responded the Ensign.

With that, _Haruna_ began its five day journey home.

* * *

><p>Three days later:<p>

"What do you mean, 'it's a typhoon?!'" Ishii snarled at the communication officer.

"That's what it is, sir," the officer responded, "It's not too strong, though, sir."

Strong wind and rain, followed by larger waves, battered the _Haruna_. The other two ships, _Shigure_, a floatplane carrier, and _Nisshin_, a destroyer, also entered the storm, but had since lost contact with _Haruna_. For now, they were on their own.

"What's a typhoon doing at this time of the year?" Murasa asked herself, concerned about the crew's safety, "Ensign Kochiya, all ahead full. We'll sail past this storm as quick as possible."

"The lieutenant's right, Captain," Ishii said, walking to Murasa, "It's not a very strong one. We should be fine."

"This doesn't feel right, Ishii," Murasa commented, "A typhoon in February?"

"Typhoons never make me feel 'right,' anyway," Ishii replied, "no matter what time of the year they appear, but you have a point. This is very strange."

The waves rocked the ship back and forth, while the rain soaked anyone who stepped out to the ship's exterior. The wind blew hard, making it difficult to move around the exterior as well. Lightning flashed in the distance.

But _Haruna_ kept moving through the storm. The ship was as tenacious as her captain; it wouldn't capsize or sink, not under Captain Murasa's watch, it wouldn't.

A few minutes later, the typhoon seemed to be getting stronger.

A large wave hit the Haruna's starboard side and rocked the ship even harder. The waves were getting larger and the wind was getting stronger.

"What the hell?" Ishii exclaimed, "Lieutenant, I thought you said this typhoon wasn't that strong?!"

Murasa turned to Ishii and said, "We must be getting closer to the eye; it'll give us a few moments respite before facing the storm again."

"Wait, you're bringing us through the strongest winds to get the eye of the storm?"

"Hey, it saved my life once; my dad and I were caught in a typhoon and we found ourselves in the eye. It gave us enough time to patch our boat up and get us to shore."

"Couldn't we have just stayed on the edge of the typhoon?" asked Ishii.

"Remember those lightning storms, Ishii?"

"What about them?"

"Those were only by the edge of the typhoon, for some reason. I'm telling you, there is something strange about this storm."

"Right, well, I can't argue with that. Go on, then. You're the captain."

The ship braved ever stronger waves and winds, but her hull's integrity was not showing any signs of fatigue just yet. She was built for this. Waves crashed into her, but the she just cut right through or above them.

Finally, the powerful forces of the typhoon came to an abrupt halt. They were in the eye. Crew members scurried all along the decks in search of any possible damage or threats to the ship's integrity. Murasa walked out of the bridge and looked up. The night sky directly above her was clear; she could see the stars, but only directly above her. All around them was the funnel of cloud, reminding Murasa that this was not the end, but the centre. They were only halfway through their journey.

* * *

><p>Murasa looked down at the water. It was eerily calm. The only waves she could see were those made by <em>Haruna<em>'s movement. It seemed as if the ship had disturbed water that was perfectly still. To her surprise, a few moments after the Haruna stopped its movement, the water did indeed become perfectly still, and the air was silent.

"What's wrong?" Ishii asked.

"This place is wrong… I can feel something… a chill running down my spine. We shouldn't have come here, Ishii."

"Captain," one of the lieutenants called, "our engines have died and the engineers are working to get them back on. They don't know what caused it, but they say they can fix it."

A sailor cried out, "What the hell is that?" Murasa turned to see what it was, and she saw what seemed to be small glowing lights appearing all around the calm waters around _Haruna_.

Murasa knew what this was. She'd heard the legends. The whole crew must've known what was going on; they were all sailors. Murasa's hands began trembling, but she managed to grip her sword-scabbard with her left hand. Her family sword gave her comfort and strength.

"It can't be…" another sailor said in disbelief.

"Well, it is, sailor," Ishii interrupted coldly, "Captain, I never believed they even existed…"

Murasa managed to smile a little.

"I don't think any of us even wanted to believe, Ishii, but we all know what they are."

"…_Funa-yurei_," whispered a terrified Ensign Kochiya.

Murasa, her left hand still gripping her sword-scabbard, pushed the guard of the sword with her left thumb, releasing the sword from the scabbard, and with her right hand she gripped the handle, drawing it out of the scabbard.

Ishii and the other officers drew their swords as well, while the sailors and marines hurriedly went to get their guns, axes, and harpoons.

"What use are these weapons against ship ghosts?" one of the lieutenants asked.

"Whether they have any effect or not, I'm dying with a sword in my hand," Ishii replied.

Murasa, Ishii, and Kochiya walked down from the bridge deck to the ship's bow main deck, where sailors were brandishing their weapons, confused and terrified. One of the anchors had been dropped.

Murasa looked at her crew and tried to comfort them.

"Stand firm, sailors. We'll get through this. Sailor, raise the anchor."

"Shinko," Ishii whispered to Ensign Kochiya, "go down to the kitchen and tell the cook to make as many rice balls as possible."

"Why, captain?" asked the Ensign, "Don't we just throw them a ladle with the bottom removed?"

"I've always been skeptical about that method," answered Murasa, "if you give them a regular ladle, they'll pour water into the ship at an ungodly rate until it sinks. Given how that's done supernaturally, I'm sure a broken ladle would work the same."

"They'll try to sink the ship with or without the ladle anyway," Ishii replied.

While they were arguing, one of the lights rose up. Out of the water, a transparent, glowing figure came out. The figure was that of a young lady in a kimono. She had long, black hair, and her eyes were empty. The sailors could see her features clearly even though she was close to transparent.

The spirit walked slowly on the still water towards the ship's bow, where Murasa was standing. She climbed the edge of the ship and looked Murasa in the eyes.

She looked very clean. She looked at Murasa with a sad expression, and showed her open hand to Murasa, asking her in a ghastly, yet calming voice,

"_Hishaku_?"

She was asking for a ladle.

"No. Go away," said Murasa; attempting to be assertive over the _Funa-yurei_, "This is my ship. Let us go."

The spirit did not mind Murasa's words. She again asked,

"_Hishaku?"_

Ishii turned around to face away from the spirit, and saw Ensign Shinko still standing there, frozen in fear, staring at the _Funa-yurei_.

"Ensign," Ishii whispered, "Shake it off! Find the cook and tell him to cook those damned rice balls now!"

"A-aye, sir!" Kochiya answered, quickly running to the ship's kitchen.

Murasa was still facing off with the ship ghost. For the third time, the ghost demanded,

"_Hishaku!_"

To which Murasa answered "No! Go back into the sea!"

"_That sword… Murasa…._" hissed the ghost.

The ghost's face turned to anger as it made a terrifying screech, revealing its true form, a ghostly skeleton, covered in a transparent glowing ectoplasm that seemed to resemble muscle-tissue and skin, with ghostly seaweed, sea grass, barnacles, and other ghostly stationary water forms clinging to the ectoplasm. It was a disgusting creature, without a doubt.

It attempted to grab Murasa, but she slashed the ghostly form with her sword, and the ghost writhed in pain before completely disintegrating into seawater.

"That's it?" one of the sailors commented.

Unfortunately, it wasn't. From the still water, hundreds of _Funa-yurei _arose and began making their way toward the ship.

"Spoke too soon, sailor," Ishii said. He ran to the ship's announcement system and spoke through the loudspeakers,

"All hands, battle stations! We're being boarded! Fight, damn it, fight! Fight for the emperor, fight for your wives, fight for your lives! Banzai!"

"Banzai!" echoed the crew.

* * *

><p>Sailors fired the ship's smaller cannons and anti-aircraft guns, as well as their rifles, submachine guns and light machine guns, at the ghosts as they approached, but there were so many, and they were moving faster.<p>

They climbed aboard the ship from all sides, and began hand-to-hand combat with the sailors. Sailors that were overwhelmed were tossed overboard by the ghosts and pulled down by ghostly hands in the sea.

Murasa and Ishii, as well as a handful of sailors, were still on the ship's bow, unable to get back up to the bridge as they were surrounded by _Funa-yurei_. They charged at the ghosts, with the sailors hacking at them with either navy boarding-axes or bludgeoning them with their rifle stocks. Murasa and Ishii followed the sailors and ripped apart several ghosts with slashes from their swords, each slain ghost turning into a pool of water.

They cleared a path for a few seconds that allowed Ishii to run to the bridge. Before Murasa could follow, one of the sailors was grabbed by the leg was being dragged out of the ship. Murasa bent down and took his hand, while another sailor protected Murasa from ghosts.

"Hold on!" Murasa said to the sailor, who was hanging by the edge of the ship, and being pulled down by ghosts.

The sailor behind Murasa hacked his axe at the ghosts trying to reach Murasa, but they were beginning to overwhelm him. They disarmed him, and began smothering his face with their hands, causing him to suffocate and swallow water, effectively 'drowning' him. The other sailor couldn't hold on any longer and he let go, where he was pulled to the depths.

"No!" she shouted, turning around and slashing a ghost with her sword. The sailor that was behind Murasa had drowned and was tossed to sea by the ghosts. Now Murasa was cut off and surrounded by ghosts. Murasa took a fighting stance with her sword and waited for the ghosts to attack her.

Meanwhile, Ishii ran through the upper decks of the ship, cutting down any ghosts in his way. Throughout the entire ship, sailors, marines, and officers battled the ghosts. The crew used anything they could get their hands on: swords, guns, boarding axes, kitchen knives, wooden boxes and planks, shovels, and other objects. They took down hundreds of ghosts, but they just kept coming.

Ishii stopped and realized he couldn't hear Murasa behind him. He'd left her behind.

"Damn it!" Ishii couldn't go back now. He descended to the lower decks to find Ensign Shinko.

"Just cook the damn rice-balls!" Shinko shouted to the cook, who refused his orders.

"Just toss in a broken ladle and they'll go away. I'm wasting good rice," replied the cook.

"The captain doesn't believe in that method. She says it'll make it worse."

"I don't care. Find another way!"

The kitchen was a mess. Sailors who were close to the kitchen when Ishii ordered battle stations stormed the kitchen and took anything they could use as weapons, leaving the whole kitchen in a disastrous state. Shinko couldn't get the already disgruntled cook to push through with the captain's orders.

"Ensign!" Ishii shouted as he entered the kitchen, sword in hand, "Where the hell are those rice-balls?!"

"The cook refuses to make them, sir!"

"Damn it, sailor," Ishii addressed the cook, pointing to him, "If you don't cook those rice balls, we all go down! The ghosts are already entering the lower decks!"

"That's a lot of rice, captain! It's wasteful! I can't do that. Why don't you do it?!"

"I will, sailor, I will, but after I throw you to the ship ghosts. Do you really want to save the rice over all the sailors in this ship?"

"Alright, alright," the cook said, giving in, "I'll make the rice balls."

"Ensign Kochiya," Ishii called, "Get up there and help Captain Murasa! She's still surrounded near the ship's anchors! Hurry!"

"Yes, sir!" he said as he dashed out of the kitchen and started running back up to the main deck.

He ascended the stairs and went out the door into the main deck where he was instantly attacked by a ship ghost. He shouted in terror, falling to the ground. With his eyes closed in fear, he instinctively swung his sword wildly at the direction of the ghost, killing it and causing seawater to splatter all over him.

"Oh, Gods, it's all over me!" he shouted as he wildly swung his sword at thin air.

He opened his eyes and saw that nothing was there.

"I'm such an idiot…" he whispered to himself, and getting up.

"I can do this, I can do this. Why do these things have to be real?!"

Shinko was quickly joined by a few other sailors and they began fighting their way to the ship's bow.

* * *

><p>Murasa was still surrounded. She was close to the ship's edge. Murasa lost count of the number of ghosts she'd slain, but it seemed as though she hadn't slain any. They stopped advancing toward her and gave her a minute to rest, for reasons she did not know why.<p>

But then, out of the water, a larger, more menacing ghost appeared. This one seemed in the likeness of a 16th century western ship captain. He climbed up and the ghosts stepped away from Murasa as the ghost captain came face to face with Murasa. The ghost drew his cutlass, and spoke to Murasa, saying in his deep, ghastly voice,

"_You dare brandish that sword in my presence…_"

"What is this sword?"

"_You are a Murasa, and you do not know the sword of your ancestor, the Wako captain, Murasa Mitsuhiro of the Shimane province?! The man who raided my ship and killed my crew!_"

"My ancestor was a pirate?" Murasa said to herself, "…cool." The ghost captain put himself into a fighting stance, and Murasa did the same, gripping her Katana with her two hands.

The ghost captain's anger flared and he attacked Murasa, opening with a downward slash of his cutlass. Murasa blocked the blow with her katana, causing the ghost captain to stagger back. Murasa attempted a sideward counter-slash, but the ghost captain was quick to recover and parry Murasa's attack. Murasa followed with more attacks in quick succession, but the ghost captain was able to evade and parry her attacks. The ghost captain finally countered with an unexpected upward slash of his cutlass, which Murasa narrowly parried out of the way.

"_Hahahaha_," the ghost laughed as Murasa noticed that her belt and the buttons of her uniform had been cut by the ghost's attack, opening the uniform, and causing the sword scabbard to fall.

"_I will have my revenge, girl._"

Murasa realized that the officer's uniform was restricting her movement a little. She removed the ruined officer's dress shirt, as well as her officer's cap, revealing her sleeveless undershirt, and the _sarashi_ wrapped around her chest and midriff.

"That feels much better," she said, "Where were we?"

The two captains began their clash again.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Ishii was still in the kitchen, hastily preparing rice balls with the <em>Haruna<em>'s cook.

"Where'd you learn to make rice balls, captain?" asked the cook.

"That is none of your concern; keep making rice balls!"

"Captain, I think I can take it from here. I'll go and toss these to sea as soon as I'm done."

"Good! Get as many sailors as you can to help you. I need to check the rest of the ship! Good luck!"

Ishii ran to the boiler rooms on the lower decks. Ishii knew that the ghosts turned to water when they were killed. They could sink their own ship just by killing too many ghosts.

"You don't want to go in there," said one of the men outside one of the boiler rooms.

"What do you mean?"

"Take a look, captain," the man opened the door and the whole room was filled with ghosts.

"Those ghosts can explode into water any time?"

"Only when they're disturbed or killed, I think. We can't do anything captain. We just wait for them to leave."

"Damn it. One wrong move and the boiler rooms are flooded."

Ishii thought of anything else that could endanger the ship. As long as those men kept anyone from disturbing the ghosts, the boiler room was still fine, but if they were smart enough to hit the boilers, Ishii thought,

"The guns!" he said to himself before running back up to the gun batteries.

* * *

><p>Ensign Kochiya and several sailors finally reached the ship's bow, to find a horde of ghosts between them, and Murasa, who was locked in a duel with the ghost captain.<p>

"The captain's in trouble! Let's get them! Banzai!"

"Banzai!" shouted the sailors as they charged at the horde of ghosts.

Chaos enveloped the entire battleship as the battle raged even longer. Murasa began tiring from the relentless assault of the ghost captain. She was now almost entirely on the defensive, blocking and parrying the attacks of the ghost captain.

The ghost captain made a sweeping attack with his sword. Murasa dodged it, but she tripped over the anchor chain and got her foot stuck in it.

"Aaah!" Murasa moaned in pain as her ankle was caught in the chain and twisted by the fall.

Using her other foot, she managed to stand and continue blocking the attacks of the ghost captain.

"No! Captain!" shouted Ensign Kochiya, who couldn't reach her. There were too many ghosts in the way of the crew.

Ishii made his way to the bow upper main gun turret to find the gunners dead, but their bodies being used by the ghosts to load an explosive round onto one of the cannons.

"Oh, no you don't!" He shouted, charging at the ghosts, striking them down with his sword.

When that was done, he made his way to the bow lower main gun turret, where he found the same situation, only this time, they were ready to fire.

"No!" Ishii ran and cut one of the ghosts down, but another fired the cannon at the main deck.

The cannon firing made a thunderous noise that pushed down many of the sailors and knocked back many ghosts. The round made considerable damage to the ship's bow, and nearly severed the anchor chain that Murasa was snagged on. The shrapnel from the blast killed a few sailors and ghosts, and injured more sailors, while Murasa was hit by one piece of shrapnel that lacerated her upper left arm.

The ghost captain was dazed by the blast and Murasa, mustering as much strength as she could, swung her katana with her right hand, cutting the ghost captain in half and turning him into seawater.

At that point many of the ghosts stopped fighting. Ensign Kochiya ran to the captain and called for a doctor or anyone who could help the captain. The cook came up to the upper decks with a barrel of rice balls, and sailors began tossing the rice balls into the water.

Surprisingly, the ghosts followed the rice balls and began returning to the water.

"Captain Murasa! You're hurt…" Ensign Kochiya told her.

"No shit," she replied. The ensign tied his handkerchief around her left arm.

"It's no use; this is an open wound, but the doc can patch it up."

The two heard the metal of the chain beginning to crack.

"Get me out of this chain!" Murasa cried out.

The ensign called several sailors to help.

"Damn it, your foot got snagged real good, Captain. I think if I take your shoe off—"

The anchor chains made an even louder breaking sound.

"Just do it! Quickly!"

Shinko removed Murasa's shoe carefully, and tried to move her foot.

"Ouch!" Murasa cried.

The chains have nearly reached their breaking point.

"Almost there, Captain. I just—"

"No…" she whispered to herself.

The chains snapped apart, and the anchor fell, plunging into the sea, dragging the chain with it. Murasa was quickly dragged across the bow and fell through the anchor hole, and into the sea.

The crew was helpless to save her. The chains were just too heavy for them all.

Murasa's right arm was raised and her head facing the surface the whole time as she plummeted to the bottom of the ocean, in the vain hope that someone would catch her and save her: her mother, her father, anyone.

As she descended quickly, the water pressure took its toll, crushing her eardrums, sinuses, gastrointestinal tract, and lungs. She lost her breath and then her consciousness, and finally, she lost her life to the sea.

* * *

><p>On the <em>Haruna<em>, the crew was devastated. Their captain was dragged under the sea by their own anchor. Ishii went to the bow main deck to see what had happened, and was greeted by several dead sailors, and several wounded being treated on the spot or being brought to the sick bay.

Ishii found a sobbing Ensign Kochiya beside what was left of the anchor chain. Before walking to him, he picked up Murasa's belt, which still had the sword scabbard attached.

"What happened? Where's the Captain?" he asked worriedly as he gave Kochiya the scabbard.

Kochiya took the sword of Murasa and put it back in the scabbard.

"I wasn't fast enough, sir. I let the chain drag her down! Forgive me!" he said grudgingly, cursing the sea and his own self as he cried.

Ishii helped him up. Kochiya couldn't stop crying, and Ishii wouldn't try to stop him. Ishii removed his hat and bowed his head.

There was silence in the boat as the entire crew followed Captain Ishii.

"I do this in respect to the greatest captain this ship and crew could ever have: Captain Murasa Minamitsu!"

The crew began clapping and cheering in honour of their deceased captain, and for the good fortune of their new one, Ishii Keishi.

"Murasa…" Kochiya whispered, "I…"

"I don't want to think about her death, Shinko," Ishii said, "That anchor she was snagged on was lowered before the attack. Murasa ordered the anchor raised so we could leave immediately, once the engines were working again. If the anchor hadn't been raised…"

"Gods… she would've surv—"

"I know," Ishii said, "and it kills me more every time I think of it, so I will speak of it no more. May her soul find peace."

"Let's go, Lieutenant Kochiya," Ishii said as he gave an on-the-spot promotion to Kochiya, "the storm's coming back. We're still a long way from home."

;

;

* * *

><p><em>Murasa was not ready to die. She had hopes of returning home, and taking care of her mother. She still had things to live for, but alas, many who die still do, and of those, some of them die at sea, and their restless souls become the Funa-yurei, whose purpose is to make others suffer like they did. Cursed she did become, bound to the sea, to the anchor that killed her. Feared she did become, and that fear made her powerful. The sailors' fear gave her power, and she eventually became youkai. Many ships have been sunk by her, and 10 years later, a brave individual volunteered to hunt her down and end her reign of terror for good.<em>

The bottom of the sea was a terrifying place, but Murasa grew to love it. The absolute darkness of the night shields her from thoughts of the time she was living, a time of light. She was to spend the rest of her existence sinking ships. She'd better forget what was past.

She grew excited. She heard one would come to challenge her, a powerful Buddhist monk, to end the suffering of the sailors and her sinking of ships.

"Perhaps when I defeat this monk, I can be freed from this cursed ocean…"

Day came, and a small boat had caught her eye.

"Is this it," she said.

Murasa ascended to the surface, and with one swing of her arm, the boat capsized and sank, and several people were flung into the water.

"Was that it? I expected a challenge!"

"I have a challenge for you then," a voice that was seemingly angelic and saintly to Murasa spoke.

Murasa looked to the sky and was astonished by the sight she was beholding.

The monk was a woman, not an old woman, but a very youthful and sweet looking woman. It was as if Murasa had laid eyes upon an ascended saint.

But what struck Murasa the most was the ship she was on. Hovering low under the clouds, flying above the water, Murasa's ghost was brought to tears by the sight.

"That isn't the boat I capsized. That's…that's my ship. The ship I captained so long ago…"

It was not the magic of the floating ship, nor the brilliant radiance of the monk. It was the _Haruna,_ floating above her, though with several modifications. It appeared a little more old-fashioned, and many parts were removed. It was converted to a flying Buddhist temple, but it retained its overall shape; she was still a battleship. It was a beautiful sight.

The monk smiled.

"This ship," the monk said, "You were looking for this ship, right? That's why you sunk all those other ships."

"How? How… Ah… this is…so nostalgic… why?" Murasa could barely speak.

"You sunk the ship I used to get here," answered the monk, "So I used my powers to make a new one. But this is a very special ship, and there's no one that can captain it."

The monk smiled again, extending her hand to Murasa, and telling her,

"But you can captain this ship."

Murasa took the monk's hand, and at that moment she became unbound from the accursed ocean.

She was free.

;

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue:<strong>

Murasa Minamitsu was freed from her curse by Hijiri Byakuren, a Buddhist monk turned master magician, and joined her in her quest to save the Youkai and work for peaceful co-existence between humans and youkai. Minamitsu captained Byakuren's Palanquin Ship, _Seirensen_, which was made identical to Murasa's ship, _Haruna_. When the monks discovered Byakuren's plan, they sealed Byakuren in _Makai,_ and imprisoned Murasa, _Seirensen_, and several Youkai loyal to Byakuren deep beneath the Earth. In 2009, or Gensokyo year 124, a geyser eruption freed _Seirensen_ and its crew, unleashing them in Gensokyo, where Murasa began her mission to return the favour and free Byakuren from her sealing.

Ishii Keishi was eventually promoted to Rear Admiral. In June of 1943, he was reassigned as Chief of Staff of Sasebo Naval Base in Nagasaki. He eventually retired, and died in 1975 at the age of 81.

Takama Tomotsu was eventually promoted to Vice Admiral, but retired 9 days after his promotion. He died in 1980 at the age of 87.

Kochiya Shinko was traumatized by his experience with the ghosts and the loss of his captain in front of his very eyes. He was granted an honourable discharge on Haruna's return to Kure, on the grounds of being psychologically unfit for war. He fostered a deep hatred and fear of Youkai. He returned to his hometown in Suwa, Nagano, where he eventually married and had children. He became the grandfather of Kochiya Sanae.

Murasa's mother grieved the loss of her daughter, Minamitsu, and moved to Hiroshima to live with her sister afterwards. She was killed in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

_Haruna_ continued fighting across the Pacific Theatre, and was finally sunk by repeated American air attacks in shallow water at Kure on the 28th of July, 1945. After the war, _Haruna_ was raised and scrapped. _Haruna_ took part in nearly every major engagement in the Pacific Theatre of the Second World War. Her bombardment of Henderson Field in Guadalcanal is said to be the most successful Japanese battleship action of the war. She was the last of the Japanese battleships by the time of her sinking.

_"This time, I'll be the one to save Byakuren. Yes, riding the ship that Byakuren created." –Murasa Minamitsu_


	6. Short: Exodus of the Goddesses

**Short: Exodus of the Goddesses**

"No! Why?!" Sanae cried out desperately, her eyes drenched with tears, "Why, mother?! Why me? I don't want to go!"

It is sometime in autumn of the year 2007. Sanae had just returned from her high school classes. The day was dying, and Sanae was looking forward to lying in her bed after a long day at school. What she got instead was a long, agonizing talk with her parents; the ultimatum that she feared was cast upon her.

"Sanae, dear daughter," her mother tried to calm her, touching her shoulder, but Sanae shrugged the hand away.

"Am I really 'dear' to you, mother?!" she shouted, "You're sending me away forever!"

"It's for your own good, Sanae!"

"For my own good, or for the good of everyone else?! For the good of the family?"

Sanae's mother began crying as well, and her father intervened.

"Sanae," called her father, "You know we have no choice."

"Yes, you do!" Sanae shouted back, falling to her knees, "Please, father!"

"Please, what? Let you stay? After what's happened? We want you to be safe."

Sanae cried even louder, "No!" she exclaimed, "You want everyone else to be safe! You think they won't accept me because I'm different! You think I'm too dangerous to be here! You're wrong! I'll show you! You're all wrong!"

"Sanae," her Father said, not as loud, but still with authority, "I'm sorry. We've been treating you like a child throughout this. I should have told you everything beforehand."

"Will you let me stay?" Sanae looked up to his father with her hopeless, teary, eyes. Already she knew the answer.

"No, Sanae. As much as your mother and I want to," answered her Father.

Sanae was stunned. His father was not one for deception or lying, and the coldness of his voice only meant he was telling the truth. She still cried, however, but she listened.

* * *

><p>"The incident you caused last week… we've been contacted several times by people and organizations we've never heard about. They were all interested in you, Sanae. These people are shady, and less than decent. They will take you away to places we don't know, where you will be alone, and very much less safe. Please, Sanae, you have to understand. We cannot protect you here, but we are sending you to a place where you will have a chance to be happy again, a chance to use your powers for better things."<p>

"Dad, I…" Sanae was weeping all the more, knowing he was telling the truth, "I can't… my friends… my family…"

"We love you, Sanae," her mother said. There were tears in her mother's eyes as well.

Sanae stood up and embraced her parents. There was still sobbing. Sanae let go of them pre-maturely, and turned her back to them, looking down. She let another tear fall from her eye to the floor.

"No, you don't," she replied to her mother, "Not enough, anyway. If you truly loved me, you'd fight to keep me here."

"We wouldn't win, dear," her Father told her coldly.

"If you really loved me," Sanae said, turning her head to the side to look at them one last time, "you'd fight anyway."

Sanae began sobbing again. She ran out the front door of her house, as if trying to escape the sorrow and pain of what had just happened, and what was to happen.

* * *

><p>They were right, she thought, a little anyway. She had no other place to go. But they could've at least fought for her. As she ran, she found herself thinking again. That was the only way to escape the pain; she had to think of other things: the past, the future, but it all seemed dark to her now.<p>

It was probably her fault; she had accidentally called upon a miracle from the Wind God, in public as well, but it was an accident. That was all the past she could remember. Her friends all seemed a distant memory now, even if she had only seen them a few hours ago. What was in the future? She was to be a shrine maiden in some dark and mysterious land, never to be with her friends or family ever again.

By the time she stopped thinking about it, she found herself at the Moriya Shrine. It was a secluded shrine on a hill near the forest. There was a lake nearby. At first, she thought of it a smaller version of the Suwa Grand Shrine by Lake Suwa nearby. She looked at it again, and managed a meagre smile, realizing that it was so.

People still visited the Great Suwa Shrine, to pray, or just to visit the historic location, but she asked herself, did they really believe? What would they think if the gods presented themselves there? She knew the answers. She understood why they had to leave; the gods at least, but not her.

* * *

><p>"Sanae?" a woman's voice called, "You're crying! What's wrong?"<p>

A grown woman with short, purple hair, wearing an elaborately-decorated red dress, walked out of the shrine and approached Sanae. She was Yasaka Kanako, the god of the Moriya Shrine.

"I don't understand," Sanae responded, still crying, but not so much. She was panting more than crying, tired from running to the shrine from her home. "You taught me everything. You taught me how to properly evoke the Wind God's power; you taught me how to control it. Why did it happen the way it happened, last week?"

Kanako frowned, answering, "Child, sometimes the gods take matters into their own hands. It was near time for us to leave. The Wind God must have done it to remind you that you are coming with us."

"I didn't think it would be this soon. It was so sudden and so unexpected. I didn't have time to say goodbye… my friends…"

"Such is the way of the gods," Kanako told her.

"Stop talking to her like that!" another voice called out from the shrine. Another came out from the shrine, this time she seemed more like a girl than a woman, with shoulder-length blonde hair, and a purple dress with white sleeves. She was wearing a strange wide-brimmed straw hat that had two frog eyes on top.

It was Moriya Suwako, the other goddess of the Moriya shrine, and also the first goddess of the Moriya shrine.

* * *

><p>In the days of ancient Japan, over 2300 years ago, The Yamato Gods united in a conquest to create the unified nation of Japan. Suwako was the ruler of the Moriya Kingdom near Lake Suwa, and she was the only goddess who could control the Mishaguji, the curse gods. Her kingdom also had the finest steel weaponry in Japan at the time.<p>

Suwako fought a war against the Yamato Gods in what came to be known as the Great Suwa War, where the power of the Yamato Gods defeated Suwako and her curse gods. Kanako was one of the Yamato Gods, and she herself defeated Suwako by casting forth a thin vine that rusted all of Suwako's steel weapons. Suwako surrendered the control of her kingdom and shrine to Kanako.

Afterwards, however, Kanako could not tame the Moriya Kingdom on her own, as she could not control the Mishaguji and the people feared the curse gods, so Kanako borrowed Suwako's powers to control them. This meant that both of the goddesses had to reside in the shrine.

The story was never told to Sanae, who never understood why the shrine would have two goddesses.

* * *

><p>"Sanae!" Suwako said cheerfully, running to Sanae and hugging her. Sanae felt strange when Suwako hugged her. Who would think that this girl, shorter than Sanae, and much younger looking, was over 2000 years old, and a goddess as well.<p>

"It isn't your fault, Sanae," Suwako told her, "We're sorry you have to go through all this."

"But you were chosen for this," Kanako said, "and this burden you must bear."

"But why?" Sanae asked the two, "I've been a good girl, all my life! I was responsible, hardworking, and respectful."

"And those people are the kind that the Gods entrust to take care of their homes," Kanako replied.

"Why does it have to be a human girl like me? Why an innocent girl with a good family and great friends?"

"That is not for us to say, Sanae," Suwako told her, "We did not choose for you to have the gift, but you were born with it."

"I envy you both, Kanako and Suwako," Sanae said to them, "You two are goddesses. You can do as you please. You are normal if you have powers like mine. The world thinks I'm so very different and they think I should go away, just because I have a gift like this. People believe in goddesses like you. If I were a goddess, they'd let me stay…"

Kanako sighed, "If only you were right about us goddesses, Sanae," Suwako frowned as Kanako continued, "We envy you humans, in fact. You don't have to endure what we have; the lengths of your lives can be counted in years, and you treasure each moment. Years are nothing for a god. And Sanae, nobody may believe you, but at least that does not affect your existence. You are still Sanae, you are still here, even if nobody believes in you."

"What do you mean?" Sanae asked.

"Gods and goddesses rely on faith to exist, Sanae," Suwako answered, "if nobody believed in us, our power would begin to fade, and it would continue fading, until we are gone from existence, vanishing without a trace. Where do you think all the other gods have gone since the fall of the Old World? Where do you think Kanako and I will go if we stay here, where humans no longer believe and yokai have receded from the world?"

"And we need you to help us, Sanae," Kanako continued, "You were given the gift to evoke the power of the Wind God. You were born to be a shrine maiden."

Kanako offered her hand to Sanae, and she took it. Suwako took hold of Sanae's other hand, and Suwako and Kanako held their other hands to each other as well.

"Tonight, we depart this land," Suwako said, "This land has no longer any need for gods and goddesses. We go to a place where the old world has endured despite the coming of the new: a land that prying eyes cannot see, and where magic is still real; the last true home of the yokai, protected from the modern world, hidden and yet in plain sight, the land of illusions: the land of Gensokyo."

The three closed their eyes, holding their hands tighter. The sorrow and sadness drifted away from Sanae's mind. She felt now magic and mystery, a fantastic place awaited her soon. She was closing a chapter of her life, and beginning a new adventure. She would miss her family and her friends, for sure, but she had to grow up. This was her destiny, and the two goddesses were her family now.


End file.
